Hawkeye Stages adds four to fleet

The Hawkeye Stages fleet grew by four with the addition of two new Prevost and two new Temsa motorcoaches. The top of the line coaches replace older models and bring the fleet total to 24.

“One of the mottos of our company is we try to keep the fleet as current as possible and we don’t keep coaches forever,” marketing manager Cathy Rickers said. “We don’t want our passengers riding around in old equipment.”

The two Prevost coaches hold 48 passengers, slightly less then the previous 54 passengers. Rickers said by removing the seats it allow for more leg room, which is an important feature for passengers who are on the coach for long periods of time.

On the other end of the spectrum, the two Temsa coaches only hold 36 passengers, but that can be an advantage for the travel company.

“The fun thing about the smaller ones is we can have smaller groups. One of the challenges we have when we do tour groups is we can’t get a full 50 passenger load. So if they have, say 20, it is more economical to take the smaller coach,” Rickers said.

All four coaches feature wood grain flooring and plush leather seats. They have cupholders, footrests, reading lights and personal air vents for a comfortable experience second to none.

“The leather upholstery is lovely and they are contoured seats that kind of hug your body,” Rickers said.

To keep up with technology and stay in line with the current motorcoach experience, each passenger has USB ports and electric outlets to stay plugged in and charged up while traveling.

“The travelers want Wi-Fi and they want to be able to plug in their iPods, so there are outlets galore,” Rickers said. “They are just super snazzy.”

The Prevost coaches have an added luxury with a larger bathroom that has a door that slides laterally for extra room and ease of entry.

Since arriving in late May, the four coaches have already traveled the country going to Mackinac Island, Mich., Washington, D.C., Gettysburg, Penn., Washakie, Wyo. and Oregon as well as many locations throughout Iowa.

“We had folks going to the Iowa State Fair. We’ll take a group from, for example, a senior living facility and drop them off at the fair, then pick them up when they are ready to go,” Rickers said.