The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has refuted a trending online report that it has banned popular ride hailing companies - Uber, Bolt, among others from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Spokesperson of the authority, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, spoke in response to a notice trending online that the virtual transportation companies have been banned from operating at the airport.

Daily Trust reports that members of the Airport Car Hire Association of Nigeria (ACHAN) have been having a running battle with Uber, Bolt (taxify) and other ride hailing drivers who bring passengers to the airport.

Many Uber drivers who go to airports, especially in Lagos and Abuja to either drop or pick passengers have allegedly been attacked by the airport car hire operators for allegedly "spoiling their businesses".

The car hire operators say patronage had dwindled following the advent of technology platforms which provide on-demand premium transportation service.

While a signpost allegedly placed at the airport suggesting that Uber and Bolt drivers have been banned was trending on the social media, FAAN came out to dispel the report, saying passengers and other members of the public are free to make use of any means of transportation at the airport.

She said: "We will like to state with all emphasis that passengers and the general public are free to use whatever means or mode convenient to transport themselves to the Lagos and other airports in Nigeria.

"We will therefore like to use this medium to inform the general public that the said sign post did not emanate from FAAN and our security personnel have been instructed to remove the sign post and investigate the issue."

A car hire operator who spoke with our correspondent yesterday on condition of anonymity while directing Daily Trust to the Chairman of ACHAN, said the ride-hailing drivers have "destroyed" their businesses.

According to him, they rose against the Uber and Taxify drivers because they pay huge amount of money to be able to operate at the airport while the other drivers don't pay.

Speaking on the development, former General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Olayinka Abioye said considering the effect of technology on the transportation landscape, "FAAN ought to have created a platform mutually adopted by Car Hire Operators and their new competitors for seamless operations."

Download Daily Trust News App

Copyright Daily Trust. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source News Service English