Key points
- FAAN says it never directed airport taxi operators to replace their vehicles with 2020 models.
- The authority says only vehicles manufactured from 2012 are eligible for its new digital taxi management system.
- Compliance deadline has been extended twice to Oct. 1, 2026.
- FAAN says Uber and Bolt will be integrated into the new platform once agreements are concluded.
Main story
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has dismissed claims that it directed airport taxi operators to replace their vehicles with 2020 model cars before they could continue operating at the nation’s airports.
The clarification followed a viral social media video in which some airport cab drivers appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians to intervene, alleging that FAAN had introduced a policy requiring them to purchase vehicles valued between N18 million and N30 million despite prevailing economic hardship.
One of the drivers claimed the authority was insisting on 2020 model vehicles as part of a new app-based airport taxi system, describing the requirement as unrealistic for many operators struggling to remain in business.
The video generated widespread reactions on social media, with many Nigerians sympathising with the drivers, while others argued that airport transport services should meet the standards expected at international airports.
Responding to the controversy, FAAN’s Director of Commercial and Business Development, Ms Adebola Agunbiade, described the claims as false, saying they did not reflect the authority’s policy.
She said the incident stemmed from resistance by some airport car hire operators who declined to register on the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS) and attempted to disrupt the pilot rollout of the platform at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Agunbiade said FAAN had never required operators to purchase 2020 model vehicles, explaining that the registration requirement only stipulates that participating vehicles must be manufactured from 2012 onwards.
According to her, the vehicle standard was communicated to operators in 2024, with the initial compliance deadline of Jan. 1, 2026, later extended to June and subsequently to Oct. 1, 2026, to provide operators with additional time to comply.
She also dismissed reports that FAAN planned to remove about 60 per cent of existing airport taxi operators to accommodate new entrants under the digital platform.
Agunbiade said all existing airport taxi operators would be allowed to continue operating once they met the prescribed standards.
She added that almost all airport taxi companies operating at the Murtala Muhammed Airport had already been cleared to join the platform, except two companies whose union allegedly instructed them not to participate while pursuing independent applications.
The director further addressed concerns raised by e-hailing operators, saying FAAN was finalising agreements with Bolt and Uber to integrate their services into the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System.
She explained that until those agreements were concluded, the companies did not have regulatory approval to pick up passengers from airport terminals, making the temporary restriction an operational issue rather than a permanent ban.
The issues
FAAN is introducing a digital Airport Car Hire Rank Management System to regulate airport taxi operations, improve passenger safety and standardise transport services. The rollout has generated resistance from some operators over registration requirements and concerns about continued access to airport terminals.
What’s being said
“It is incorrect to say that FAAN asked drivers to change their vehicles to a minimum of the 2020 model… drivers must operate vehicles manufactured in 2012 or above.” — Adebola Agunbiade, Director of Commercial and Business Development, FAAN
What’s next
FAAN will continue the phased implementation of the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System, while working to integrate Bolt and Uber into the platform and allowing operators until Oct. 1, 2026, to meet the eligibility requirements.
Bottom line
FAAN says reports that airport taxi operators must purchase 2020 model vehicles are false, maintaining that the new digital taxi system only requires vehicles manufactured from 2012 onwards.
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