Long distance luxury bus transporters have assured Nigerians travelling to various destinations this Christmas season that efforts are being made to ensure they enjoy safe and hitch-free trips.

The Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON) said in a press statement over the weekend that it is aware of the safety concerns of the travelling public as well as the seasonal upsurge in the number of passengers, stating that the issues are being addressed.

Signed by the National President, Prince Samuel Ezeh, and the Honorary Secretary, Mr. Frank Nneji, the press statement said that the association is collaborating with various security agencies to ensure safe and incident-free operations, especially along the busy routes.

“Apart from beefing up capacities by adding brand new big and small buses to their various fleets, our member-companies have also been maintaining their older vehicles so that they would be in very good motoring condition – all in the interest of the travellers,” the ALBON executive members assured.

The transporters, however, appealed to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to urgently intervene and find a solution to the gridlocks being experienced by travellers on various corridors as Christmas draws nearer.

The traffic situation on various routes result in travellers spending long hours on the road and arriving their destinations very late.

An umbrella body for all long distance transport owners in the country, ALBON, said its members anticipate the usual increase in the number of passengers during the season this year.

The press statement further noted that a sharper upsurge in the volume of seasonal passengers is likely this year owing to the unprecedented hike in air fares which will make many regular flyers to go by road.

“Our members have, therefore, updated fleets of buses, prepared the on-board crews, as well as the ground staff, to meet the expected challenges of the season’s operations.”

Wishing its customers a merry Christmas and a happy new year in advance, the transport owners urged its customers to always be safety conscious. (The Sun)