RobertsHawaii Revenue and Competitors

In 1941, in the little town of Hanapepe on the "Garden Isle" of Kauai, Robert Iwamoto, Sr. started a business as an independent taxi driver transporting soldiers stationed on Kauai. As the business prospered, he bought five more cars and established Roberts Rent-A-Car. Iwamoto's son, Robert Jr., joined the family business at the age of 15, when the company began to offer tours in long 'stretch' sedans. In the late fifties, the company purchased its first bus and moved its center of operations to the newly built airport in Lihue. In 1957, Robert, Sr. purchased an air-conditioned motor coach, the first of its kind of Kauai. And in the early 60's, Roberts began to offer "Room and Car" packages, the forerunners of today's Roberts Overnighters. In 1964, the company opened operations on Oahu. This was soon followed by expansion onto Maui and the Big Island. During the same period, the company identified some other unmet needs on Oahu and expanded into baggage handling service and the activities business by offering sunset dinner cruises. In 1974 Roberts purchased 4-luxury motor coaches and began competing on a level with mainland-based Greyhound Tours. The 1980's were a period of major growth for Roberts Hawaii. In 1981, we entered the school bus business and built Ali'i Kai Catamaran, the world's largest ocean-going twin hulled ship. She still operates today, offering nightly dinner cruises off Waikiki. Later in the decade the company went on to purchase Captain Beans' cruises on Hawaii and concentrated on growing its Roberts Overnighter business.