N30,000 fare from Lagos Airport to Ikeja sparks pricing controversy

The Editor of Transport Day Media, Mr Frank Kintum, has called for an urgent review of airport transportation fares following reports that passengers are being charged as much as N30,000 for trips from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to Ikeja.

Kintum described the reported fare as excessive, particularly when compared with significantly lower rates offered by conventional ride-hailing platforms for the same route.

His reaction followed a report involving an airport car-hire operator that quoted N30,000 for a journey from the Lagos airport to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, while platforms such as Uber and Bolt reportedly offered substantially cheaper alternatives.

Kintum acknowledged the importance of providing safe, regulated and reliable transportation at Nigeria’s airports but argued that regulation should not translate into unreasonable costs for passengers.

He said the wide disparity between airport car-hire fares and prevailing ride-hailing rates raises concerns about pricing, competition, consumer protection and the overall experience of passengers arriving in the country.

“Airport transportation is an important part of the aviation value chain and the first point of contact for many visitors arriving in Nigeria. When a passenger is confronted with a fare several times higher than the prevailing market rate for a relatively short journey, it can create a negative impression of our transportation system,” Kintum said.

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The editor noted that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had previously explained that the Airport Car Hire and Ride Management System, ACHRAMS, was established to regulate airport car-hire operations rather than compete with or duplicate services provided by Uber, Bolt and other e-hailing companies.

However, Kintum maintained that regulation must be underpinned by transparency, fairness and accountability.

“If the objective is to protect passengers and improve airport transportation, the pricing structure must be transparent, competitive and justifiable. There should be no situation where passengers are effectively compelled to pay significantly more simply because they are travelling from an airport,” he said.

He urged FAAN and other relevant stakeholders to review the existing fare structure and explore ways of integrating conventional e-hailing operators into the airport transportation framework, subject to necessary security and operational requirements.

Kintum also called for clear and visible fare displays at airport transport points, effective mechanisms for handling passenger complaints and regular monitoring of operators to ensure compliance with agreed standards.

According to him, Nigeria’s airports should offer passengers safe, efficient, convenient and reasonably priced transportation options.

He warned that excessively high airport transport costs could undermine efforts to improve Nigeria’s image among international visitors and potentially affect the country’s attractiveness as a destination for business, tourism and investment.

He therefore urged aviation and transport authorities to treat the issue as a matter of passenger welfare and service quality, stressing that effective regulation should protect consumers while promoting a competitive and sustainable airport transport system.