Lagos Airport Taxi Fare Sparks Outrage Over N30,000 Ikeja Trip
Travellers and social media users have expressed concern over the cost of transportation from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to Ikeja, with a newly introduced airport car-hire service reportedly charging as much as N30,000 for the journey.
The controversy followed a viral video by travel content creator, Chris Joondeph, popularly known as “Authentic Travelling”, who shared his experience after requesting a ride from the airport to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja.
According to Joondeph, an airport car-hire operator quoted him N30,000 for the trip, a figure he described as excessive compared with what he had previously paid for the same journey on ride-hailing platforms.
He said he had previously paid between N6,000 and N8,000 for the journey using Uber but opted against the airport service after receiving the N30,000 quote.
Instead, he left the airport premises and ordered an alternative ride through inDrive, which he said cost N6,100.
Checks on available ride-hailing fares also showed a wide disparity. For the same journey to Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Bolt reportedly quoted about N6,900, while Uber showed fares of approximately N4,200 for UberX and N5,800 for its Priority option.
The airport car-hire platform, ACHRAMS, reportedly lists journeys from the airport to city-centre locations between N10,000 and N20,000, while trips to suburbs range from N20,000 to N30,000. Inter-state journeys are listed at between N30,000 and N60,000.
The reported fare has generated criticism online, with some Nigerians describing the N30,000 charge as excessive for a relatively short journey within Ikeja.
Some users also questioned the decision to restrict direct airport pick-ups by conventional ride-hailing operators while an airport-authorised car-hire service offers significantly higher fares.
However, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has clarified that it did not impose a blanket ban on Uber, Bolt and other e-hailing companies.
FAAN said it was engaging the platforms on how they could operate within the airports while complying with security and regulatory requirements.
The authority also explained that ACHRAMS was introduced to regulate airport car-hire operations and was not designed to compete directly with Uber, Bolt or other conventional e-hailing platforms.
The development has nevertheless renewed concerns among travellers over transportation costs at Nigeria’s major airports, particularly where passengers have alternative options offering substantially lower fares.
