The Intercity STC Coaches Limited has suspended its scheduled evening trips to the northern part of the country following the incessant armed robbery attacks on its buses. Although the Ghana Police Service has provided the company with policemen who serve as escorts on buses on the Accra-Tamale route, the objective has not been achieved. The Managing Director (MD) of the company, Mr Kwame Adjei-Sefah, told¬ the Daily Graphic that the decision to discontinue the evening trips was to ensure the total protection of passengers. He stated that between December last year and January this year, buses travelling to the north were attacked, although there had been police escorts accompanying the passengers, and added that the regular robbery cases visited on passengers on STC buses in particular were an indication that the perpetrators had monitored the schedule and struck during ungodly hours. "These armed robbers usually execute their plans after the bus has passed the safe areas, after which they signal their accomplices at other vantage locations suitable for them to strike," Mr Adjei-Sefah added. He noted that the armed robbers usually carried out their nefarious acts on the Techiman-Abofour road in the Brong Ahafo Region and pointed out that an increase in the number of police escorts on the buses could have stemmed the robbery attacks. Mr Adjei-Sefah commended the police for their gallantry in protecting passengers and expressed appreciation to the various regional police commanders for their co-operation in terms of providing the company with security escorts. When asked what usually accounted for the undue delay in bus departure, which sometimes generated agitation among passengers, the MD explained that because the buses were limited in number, when a bus that was scheduled to convey passengers to their destination developed a fault, it was impossible for the passengers to depart at the stated time. He further explained that when that happened, an available bus that had returned from a trip would be checked to ensure that it was roadworthy before it embarked on the journey. In view of that, he said, the company had taken delivery of 20 new buses, with an additional 17 expected to add to the company's fleet to improve the situation. He urged Ghanaians in general and customers of the company in particular to continue to maintain their loyalty to the company, since it was the only body in the country offering reliable, long ¬distance transport services. Source: Daily Graphic