Lagos Airport Car Hire Service Challenges Persist

Chinedu Eze

The challenges are not yet over with car hire service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, as passengers still battle with high and arbitrary charges to exit Nigeria’s major gateway.

The challenges faced by passengers persist because the organised system instituted by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is yet to work effectively.

Earlier in the year, the agency introduced Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS), an official digital platform introduced to organise airport taxi operations, reduce terminal congestion and improve passenger safety. Ideally it tracks and manages ground transportation at major Nigerian airports like Lagos and Abuja to improve safety and order.

The system is also supposed to keep a central digital list of all approved drivers and vehicles to help security teams know who operates inside the airport. It also sets specific pick-up zones and parking bays.

But the snag now is that the platform is not functional and it has been down for a very long time, according to the operators who use it. The consequence is that there is arbitrariness in the process, as ACHRAMS operators now resort to the old system of canvassing for passengers, a system reminiscent of the old touting system.

When THISDAY visited the international terminal of the Lagos airport, there was disorderliness because ACHRAMS platform was not working and the operators were calling out the passengers.

Before the establishment of ACHRAMS, the old taxi operators used to have mini office with a table. Passengers approach the table to book taxis, but with ACHRAMS digital platform, there was no need for the mini office. However, with the failure of the platform, the operators now call out on the passengers from arrival.

An insider who has been monitoring the development, said: “So, the situation now is that the ACHRAMS app is not working. It is not working at the airport and they have removed the table of taxi operators inside the terminal, that is the arrival hall. Now, what the staff of ACHRAMS are doing is that they are now touting, soliciting for passengers. They are not FAAN staff, they are like a contractor or concessionaire to FAAN to manage taxi operations.”

According to him, “The taxi operators don’t have any stand inside the arrival hall. Because when they have their table inside the arrival hall, passengers that are coming out, they will just quietly go to their table and book a taxi. The whole thing was orderly,’ he said.

It is good to go to the background of this. It was learnt that before now what FAAN normally do every year is to conduct vehicle inspection with the old operators, known as Airport Car Hire Association of Nigeria (ACHAN). This was to make sure that the vehicles were of given standard.

They did this earlier in 2026. After that inspection, the operators were issued what they call permit stickers. The stickers expire after one year. It was learnt that over 1500 vehicles were approved, especially in Lagos.

An insider source volunteered that the operators paid N50, 000 each which amounted to N75 million.

‘This present year, they did the inspection in the month of May. Then, after three weeks, in June, they now sent another circular, to this same people that they inspected and asked them to come back again for another inspection. Now, this second inspection became something doubtful, became suspicious to the taxi operators.

“Each paid N50, 000 for the sticker. If you check the total amount, it is more than N75 million they collected from only Lagos airport, from drivers, and gave them that stickers. That was when they did the inspection in May,” the insider said.

FAAN also stipulated that the oldest vehicle that will operate as taxi at the airport should not have been manufactured before 2012.  This is to make sure that the taxis should be road worthy and good looking for the passengers that will use their service.

It was also learnt that after the second meeting with the old taxi operators, the ACHAN members in May, FAAN introduced electric vehicles, which are new, more beautiful and more efficient. The agency has been trying to make sure that the passengers are given the best treatment on their arrival by ensuring that comfortable and roadworthy vehicles take them to their final destinations.

But the allegation is that the older taxi operators and others would queue on the ACHRAMS digital platform but because the app is not working, the ACHRAMS officials will physically choose taxis for passengers.

“So, what happens is that the taxi operators will come and queue online, waiting for passengers, turn by turn, but the ACHRAMS staff will get a passenger and you will be surprised, somebody that is number four on the line will become number 30. So, they choose whom to give passengers to,” the source alleged.

What this means is that ACHRAMS has gone back to the old, uncoordinated system and FAAN is yet to accomplish the transformation it set out to do at the airports.

“Also, ACHAN lawyer, Williams Ikem said e-hailing service providers like Bolt, in Drive and LagRide still operate at the airport ‘but some of them still operate old vehicles below the year stipulated by FAAN but ACHAN members have done everything possible to meet the conditions of FAAN, yet they seem to have been sidelined,” he said.

However, official of Public Affairs in FAAN told THISDAY that the agency has streamlined everything and is desirous in providing better service to travellers at the airports under the agency’s management.

She expressed surprise that ACHRAMS’ digital app was not working and told THISDAY that the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, escalated the matter to ensure the app was reactivated.

“It is surprising that it has stopped working because my colleagues have been using it. They use it to monitor the taxi fares,” she said.

After cross-checking with those in charge of the system, she sent this message: “Good morning m’aam. As of this morning: 22 completed rides in Abuja (NAIA, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja); 4 completed rides MMIA (GAT) (that is General Aviation Terminal of the Lagos airport); 10 completed rides MMIA (international).

“So, app is definitely working. The eTransact glitch has been resolved since.”

However, operators said that the app signal came up and appeared when one is at the airport but beyond the airport one cannot get it.

One of the operators said that ACHRAMS staff still hustle for passengers physically.

“FAAN created VIP stand separate from regular taxi operators. The so-called VIP gets more passengers on daily basis and at a higher taxi fare than the regular taxi operators who queued on line. The ACHRAMS staff solicit for passengers and give more passengers to VIP drivers. Even the VIP vehicles are not upto standard in terms of cleanliness, or higher in models. The ACHRAMS app is not working according to the way FAAN hyped it. Instead, the staff of ACHRAMS are now soliciting for passengers for mainly VIP drivers,” the operator said.

Recently, the Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, explained that what prompted FAAN to move to sanitize taxi operations at the airports was the deluge of complaints received from travellers who alleged they were short-changed one way or another by taxi operators at the airports.

“What was important for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria is to ensure that we addressed passenger concerns. We did receive a lot of concerns, especially around the December holiday period, about passengers who took some of the e-hailing, and even the car hire services, who had very terrible experiences. Some of them went all the way from intimidation, to being dropped in other places, and even more extreme situations,” Kuku said.

It was these experiences that prompted the agency to introduce a more efficient, safe and transparent system to manage taxi operations at the airports.

​