Irizar i8 36-seater, valued at £400,000, has already been booked for use by Portsmouth FC
Lucketts has welcomed a new £400,000 luxury coach to its fleet.
The Fareham-based operator took delivery of the Irizar i8 Integral, making it the only vehicle of its type in the region.
The Irizar i8 seats 36 people in the amount of space that would normally be used for a 53-seater coach, with reclining leather seats and tables. Other features include a fully-fitted Neff kitchen, five flat screen HD TVs, complete with Sky, and the option of an on-board host. The kitchen itself features a top-of-the-range oven, a coffee machine, microwave and instant hot water tap, and Lucketts says this will offer VIP treatment comparable to that a celebrity would receive.
Lucketts has also fitted the VIP coach with WiFi, DAB radio, Chromecast for passengers to stream entertainment, as well as USB ports and power sockets.
The coach has already been booked by Portsmouth Football Club for their away fixtures, and Lucketts are also in talks with several south coast businesses about using it for corporate travel.
Paul Barringer, Group sales and Marketing Director, said he expects the VIP coach to be popular among a wide range of travellers: “Ever since we announced we were buying the Irizar i8, we’ve been flooded with people getting in touch to find out more about it. There’s been a real variety of enquiries – from businesses looking to impress clients to brides wanting to lay on VIP travel for their guests.”
He added: “Our staff were itching to get on-board and explore the coach when it arrived! Between the blacked-out windows, luxury leather seats and option of an on-board host, it will be like travelling in celebrity style.”
The Lucketts VIP coach was built in Spain and was adapted at AD Coach Systems, a specialist conversion company in the UK, before arriving at Lucketts’ headquarters. Its arrival brings the number of vehicles in Lucketts’ fleet to 130 and forms part of the company’s £7.5m investment in vehicles this year.
