Abstract

Transportation is popularly referred to as an engine to every nation's economy. But, in spite of the importance of transportation, the request for a good transport system remains an illusion. This is as a result of ineffective promotional strategies that the transport operators adopt. Therefore, this research work "Analyzing promotional strategies for Road Transportation Services- a study of ABC Transport Services in Umuahia" aims at determining the impact of public relations strategy and other promotional strategies used by the company; The impact of quality of services offered by the company on customers' patronage as well as the impact of fares charged by the company. Related literatures written by some authors who have gotten real-world experiences on the field such as Kotler, Olakunori and Ejionueme and many others were reviewed. The study was carried out using pilot survey. Out of 50 people randomly selected, 30 have patronized the company, while 20 have not patronized the company using Topman's formula. The responses of the consumers were presented and analyzed using chi-square(x statistical) method. The findings show that customers are satisfied with the fares charged by the company. Public relations activities adopted by the company have impacted positively on its profitability. The study therefore recommends that more vehicles should be procured and spoilt ones be repaired to ensure the availability of the vehicles on a continuous basis. The company should maintain its pricing strategies to enable it keep and sustain its customers: The Company should as well employ other strategies such as: Sales promotion, advertising, personal selling and publicity not only to increase its customer's patronage but also to effectively compete with other transport industries.