ABC Transport At 32:  From Five Mini Buses To Nigeria’s Foremost Land Transport Company

ABC Transport was not among the first generation of luxury bus transporters where a pathfinder like Ekene Dili Chukwu belongs, but with Nneji on the driver’s seat, it revolutionised road transportation and set the standards for modern, long distance passenger services.

As the founder of ABC Transport, Frank Nneji recalled in a recent interview that it was the unpleasant personal experience he had during a trip from Owerri to Lagos on board a bus which finally broke down at Ore, that led to the conception of the idea of a modern transport company in 1993.

The objective then, according to him, was to set standards in luxury bus transportation with emphasis on passenger comfort, safety and strict adherence to schedules.

Today, like the oak tree, ABC Transport has not only scored many firsts in road transportation, but has also grown to become a household name in the industry, with a fleet of about 500 vehicles and a network of over 90 locations across the country and in West Africa.

Following the success recorded in the beginning, the ABC Transport fleet was sustainably expanded with the injection of more mini buses and the state-of-the-art luxury coaches.

This earned for the company the travellers’ acclaim across the country as the first to introduce air-conditioned coaches with toilet facilities, as well as on-board entertainment featuring video screens and mid-journey refreshment.

One of the innovations introduced by the management in the years following that inaugural trip by the five mini buses was the ABC Customers’ Forum never held before in the country’s road transport industry.

At the event which was sustained annually until a few years ago, the management interacted with the customers, and fielded questions, complaints and suggestions on how to improve the company’s services 

On July 16, 2004, ABC Transport scored yet another first with its Coach West Africa – the ECOWAS region’s first scheduled coach service taking off from Lagos (through Cotonou in Benin Republic,  and Lome in Togo) to  Accra, Ghana, and back, on board the purpose-built vehicles.

Online ticket booking, which has since been embraced by most luxury bus transport operators, was first introduced by ABC Transport in 2007, making it easier for travellers to book their trips and pay from the comfort of their homes and offices.

A  Mobile App was subsequently introduced to enhance the self-service.

Similarly, ABC Transport was the first to establish ultramodern terminals in Nigeria and beyond, with some of them in Lagos, Abuja, Owerri and Port Harcourt.

A well earned reputation for innovation, outstanding safety records and unique customer experience, has since combined with Mr. Nneji’s entrepreneurial drive and commitment to excellence  as the driving force behind the company’s success. 

Over the past 32 years, ABC Transport has achieved numerous milestones, including, of course, the addition of ABC Cargo Express, the logistics and warehousing division; and ABC Hauls, the haulage services arm.

With the recent deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks, to boost its cement haulage capacity at Lafarge Africa Plc’s cement factory, ABC Hauls and Cargo Express account for about 50 percent of ABC Transport PLC’s operations.

ABC Hauls is one of Lafarge’s major transporters for the distribution of cement around the country. 

ABC Cargo Express, which commenced operations also as a division, has now grown to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the parent company.  This was necessitated by its rapid growth and its ability to focus on the innovations going on in the logistics sector. 

The company moves hundreds of thousands of packages around West Africa, empowering many businesses with its dedicated e-commerce services. 

Today, ABC Transport also has the record of being the first, and so far, the only road transport company to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. 

Along with a seamless succession plan which has ensured that the former Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Jude Nneji, has since succeeded Mr. Frank Nneji, as the Managing Director, the company has been enjoying considerable stability, liquidity and ease of management.

The founder and former Managing Director has since moved up to higher responsibilities as one of the directors of the company. 

ABC has severally been honoured for its outstanding performance in the transport industry, winning several awards and accolades both nationally and internationally.

Driver Training Academy (DTA), another offshoot of ABC Transport PLC, and the first of its kind in Nigeria,graduated its first set of trainees in 2004. 

The Driver Training Academy was founded with a mission to ‘prepare and produce’ for Nigeria’s motoring environment, law-abiding and safety-conscious drivers who appreciate the value of human life. 

It admits trainees from within ABC Transport and other organisation wishing to benefit from the comprehensive training packages approved by the Federal Road Safety Commission.

In 2012, ABC Transport ventured into auto  production with its 50 percent stake in Transit Support Services Ltd (TSS), which is into the assembly of heavy and light duty trucks with its flagship brands as Shacman (including fire trucks etc.), SETRAC CNG buses, as well as Forland Trucks

TSS also provides in the local automotive market Asiastar luxury buses and BAW mini buses and ambulances assembled at its facility in Emene, Enugu.  This is in addition to the sale of automotive parts and after-sales support services 

With its DTA, Cargo Express, TSS, and ABC Hauls, ABC Transport PLC is the most diversified transport company in the West African sub-region, having also launched a hospitality arm with City Transit Inn in the Utako area of Abuja, to serve travellers arriving the Federal Capital Territory with budget accommodation.

Commenting on 32nd anniversary, the Managing Director of ABC Transport PLC, Mr. Jude Nneji, flashed his mind back to the road the company has travelled since inception in 1993, declaring that there have been some daunting  challenges on the way.

But, he disclosed that through a combination of astute management and support of loyal customers, the company was able to navigate the challenges to stay afloat and achieve some milestones that define the road transport industry today.

He stated: “There have been challenges in the past 32 yesrs. But, we are braced up for them. You know it is not easy for a company to survive three decades.”

The Managing Director said the company is currently focusing on rebranding and consolidating on the achievements of the past three decades.

“We are doing a lot of renewal; the logo change, the rebranding, and refleeting, among other things, just to move on to the next stage. 

“We are consolidating the divisions we have. For now, focus is on our Haulage and Cargo divisions, as well as our Driver Training Academy, which is turning a lot of graduates into the professional driver market.”

Looking back on the early days, the founder – Frank Nneji  – recalled that to succeed, his management adopted as a matter of policy, an uncompromising focus on the quality of service ABC rendered and gradually began resetting the standards for road transport operations in Nigeria

This they did by providing a comfortable and suitable alternative road travel means for the discerning traveller who would have otherwise opted to fly.

Thus, the average customer in Nigeria’s travel space embraced the new innovative, more comfortable, timeous, customer-centric and safety-conscious services ABC Transport provided at considerably cheaper rate than what it cost to travel by air.

As the management engages top gear in its current renewal efforts, the Managing Director is grateful to God, “and all our customers who have kept faith with us and kept faith with the brand. We will not let them down.”