Sainte-Claire, QC, November 22, 2010 — Astro Travel & Tours Inc. of Tallahassee, Florida, took possession of five new 2010 Prevost H3-45 motorcoaches in late October, bringing its total fleet to nine of the 56-passenger vehicles.
Astro provides charter service throughout its geographic marketwhich spans northern Florida and southern Georgiaand anywhere in the continental U.S., as far away as Alaska. Matt Brown, Operations Manager, explains that much of the company’s business comes from school groups and sports teams, “especially Florida State University, right in our hometown, and the many other colleges whose athletes come to Tallahassee to play the Seminoles.”
Astro Travel & Tours began in 1970 as a retail travel agency. The transportation side of the company eventually eclipsed the travel operation, which was phased out in 2002 so owner Charlie Hunter and his employees could continue to focus on developing the motorcoach business.
Matt Brown recalls that Astro acquired its first Prevost bus, a pre-owned H3-45, in 1997, attracted by the brand’s reputation for outstanding quality. Thirteen years later, Astro and its drivers remain highly satisfied with not only the product quality but also “Prevost’s good customer service, sustained resale value, and outstanding durability.”
All Astro motorcoaches are late models, the majority from 2010, sporting identical equipment and graphics. Astro customers are especially pleased to find wireless Internet and Direct TV on board, along with plenty of 110V outlets throughout the passenger compartment. Recognizing that many of its riders travel with computers, cellphones, and other portable devices that need recharging, the company specified additional outlets, a feature that its passengers really appreciate.
Matt Brown believes that one reason why Astro has been able to succeed during difficult economic times may well be the fact that it has an up-to-date stable of look-alike Prevosts. “Our goal is to be able to use any bus on any trip’,” he explains. “Our primary reason for keeping the fleet updated is to assure any of our clients that when they ride with us, they’ll be getting the newest, most equipped vehicle,” he said.
That kind of well-grounded thinking has helped Astro remain a thriving, family owned and operated business whose 25 employees are dedicated to being “simply the best there is.”