Yuletide: Parks Witness High Passengers Patronage

Some interstate commercial bus operators on Sunday said they witnessed high turnout of passengers travelling for the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Our correspondent reports that while some privately operated parks acknowledged high patronage, the public park in Jabi decried passengers’ turnout.

The Assistant Manager, E. Ekesons Bros Nig. Ltd., Mr Eugene Okonkwo, told NAN that the patronage of the company was high.

Okonkwo said there were so many customers that all of them could not get ticket to travel, adding that some had to wait for the `night buses’.

He said that the company had also increased its fare to Lagos from N5,500 to N6,500 because of the high demand.

“People are really travelling for Christmas and we have a lot of customers.

“Some of the passengers could not get tickets to travel this morning. So, some of them have to book the night bus.

“Those who could not get tickets for the night bus have booked against tomorrow,” Okonkwo said.

Mr Abayomi Sanyaolu, a passenger at E. Ekesons Bros Nig. Ltd. said he preferred to travel with the company because the buses were in good conditions and that comfort and safety were guaranteed.

However, commercial taxi and bus operators at Jabi Park, Abuja, decried passengers low patronage during the 2013 Christmas season.

They told newsmen that passengers’ influx lasted for only three hours, stressing that most of the passengers’ prefer luxury buses.

The Secretary, National Union of Road Worker, Long Journey Branch, Mr Abdulfatai said they consider the low patronage unusual, especially during festive seasons.

Al-hassan, who said that there were no luxury buses in Jabi Park, said there was no increase in the transport fares.

“If you look around here, it does not seem as if anything is happening. Everything is `dry’, this is not how this place used to be during festive periods.

“We are not feeling the impact of the forthcoming Christmas here because people are not travelling. It is just like regular days.

“If it was before, all these buses and cars will no longer be here, they would all have travelled,” he said.

However, Mr Abdullahi Mustapha, a driver, observed that the low patronage was due to the poor economic situation of the country.

Mustapha said he was optimistic that the customers would still patronise the park before the end of the season.

A customer at the Jabi Park, Miss Linda Adeyemi, said that she had been waiting for the bus to get filled up for the past two hours.

According to her, most people are discouraged to patronise the park because of the bad state of most of the cars.

“I am here because the fare is cheaper and I am really getting frustrated now because passengers are not forthcoming.”