The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has linked its push to regulate e-hailing and car-hire services at airports to growing airport security and passenger safety concerns.
FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, said the agency’s priority was to ensure passengers were safe and protected while enjoying a seamless experience within airport facilities.
She said FAAN received several complaints during the December holiday period involving passengers who used e-hailing and car-hire services. Some reports involved intimidation, passengers being dropped at unintended locations and other serious incidents.
“Those concerns made it necessary for us to introduce greater oversight of commercial transportation services operating within the airport,” she said.
Airport security concerns
Kuku said the concerns extended to drivers associated with e-hailing platforms. According to her, some drivers left their vehicles after arriving at the airport, presented themselves as e-hailing drivers and joined car-hire operators to solicit passengers and charge higher fares.
“That practice contributed to the wider problem of touting within the airport environment and reinforced the need for greater regulatory oversight,” she said.
She said the central issue was ensuring visibility over who was driving passengers within the airport.
“For me, the airport security issue is about ensuring that you have visibility on who is driving you and those within our airport,” she explained.
FAAN subsequently developed an application to provide passengers with information about approved car-hire companies and their drivers.
“The objective is to identify who is taking a passenger from one point to another, rather than allowing passengers to enter vehicles without adequate visibility about the operator or driver,” Kuku said.
FAAN says it does not control fares
Kuku stressed that FAAN does not operate car-hire vehicles or collect money on behalf of drivers.
She added that passengers remained free to choose how they travelled to and from the airport, including pre-booking a vehicle, using an e-hailing platform or patronising airport car-hire services.
“Our role is not to dictate the passenger’s choice. Our role is to ensure that transportation providers operating within our jurisdiction meet the required safety and security expectations,” she said.
Kuku said car-hire services traditionally charge higher fares because their operating model involves transporting passengers from the airport and returning to the airport.
However, she maintained, “The priority is ensuring that passengers have adequate information and visibility about the people providing transportation services within the airport environment”.
Liability concerns with e-hailing platforms
Kuku disclosed that discussions with e-hailing companies had been complicated by disagreements over liability and responsibility for drivers.
The companies requested dedicated airport pick-up zones, which FAAN was prepared to provide. However, the airport managers also wanted them to accept greater responsibility for drivers using their platforms in a bid to improve airport security.
“The companies maintained that the drivers were independent operators rather than employees of the e-hailing companies,” Kuku said.
She said this raised concerns over who would be responsible if passengers experienced safety problems.
“That created a major concern for FAAN because we wanted clarity over who would bear responsibility when safety issues involving passengers occurred,” she explained.
According to Kuku, the companies referred passengers to safety features on their platforms rather than accepting direct responsibility for the drivers.
“That was a major issue,” she said.
FAAN distances airport security regulation from Uber exit
Kuku also separated FAAN’s airport transportation regulations from Uber’s reported decision to leave Nigeria.
“FAAN’s airport transportation regulations should not be confused with Uber’s reported decision to leave Nigeria,” she said.
She said she could not speak for Uber or determine the company’s economic and regulatory reasons for its decision. The airport, she added, represents only a small part of the wider market in which e-hailing companies operate across Nigeria.
For FAAN, the regulation of e-hailing and car-hire services is primarily an airport security and passenger protection measure, not an attempt to dictate which transportation option passengers must use.
“Passengers should retain the freedom to choose their preferred mode of transport while having sufficient visibility over the operator and driver providing the service,” she said.
