The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, has raised concerns over the alleged ill-treatment of passengers by e-hailing and car-hire operators at Nigerian airports.
Kuku said FAAN could not ignore complaints relating to passenger safety, security, fares and other concerns surrounding the services.
Speaking in Lagos while clarifying Uber’s exit from Nigeria, she said passengers remained free to choose their preferred operators, but FAAN was concerned about their overall experience, safety and the responsibility of companies for drivers using their platforms.
She said FAAN had received several complaints, particularly during the December holiday period, from passengers who used e-hailing and car-hire services at airports.
Kuku explained that FAAN developed an app to provide visibility on registered car-hire companies and enable passengers to identify the drivers transporting them.
She clarified that FAAN did not collect fares on behalf of the operators but provided passengers with information on available services and indicative fares based on their destinations.
On Uber’s exit, Kuku said the decision was based on the company’s own economic and regulatory considerations and was not caused by FAAN.
She, however, identified liability as a major point of disagreement between FAAN and e-hailing companies.
According to her, operators sought dedicated pick-up zones at airports, which FAAN agreed to provide, but the authority also wanted them to accept responsibility for their drivers.
Kuku said the companies maintained that their drivers were independent contractors and not their employees, a position FAAN was dissatisfied with, particularly over passenger safety concerns.
She said Uber had been considering leaving Nigeria for some time, adding that the disagreement over liability was among the issues that created a stumbling block between the company and FAAN.
Kuku stressed that Uber’s exit was not connected to FAAN, noting that airports accounted for only a small portion of the company’s operations in Nigeria.