Acklams Coaches
Acklams Coaches is a privately held UK regional coach travel operator based in Beverley, East Yorkshire, providing coach hire, packaged coach holidays, day trips and concert/event transport across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire for schools, corporates, sports teams, community groups and individual travellers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1952
- HeadquartersBeverley, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Acklams Coaches does
Acklams Coaches (legal entity: Acklams Leisure Ltd) is a privately held UK regional coach travel operator headquartered in Beverley, East Yorkshire, founded in 1952 and operating continuously for over 70 years. The business provides fleet-based group transportation and packaged travel services across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, holding a fleet spanning 17 vehicle categories — from 8-seat minibuses through 16-seat executive minibuses, 32–57-seat standard and elite tour coaches, 73–87-seat double-decker and interdeck coaches, specialty team coaches with on-board meeting facilities, heritage open-top buses, the Senzati VIP people carrier (Mercedes-Benz V300 Extra Long with Nappa leather and panoramic roof), the Neoplan Starliner panoramic-ceiling coach, the Irizar i6s executive coach, and the Pelican Yutong 59-seat zero-emission electric coach with 300-mile range and 300kW fast charging. All vehicles are supplied with professional, DBS-checked drivers.
Revenue is generated across four streams. Coach hire is a quote-based service priced by distance, duration and vehicle type for groups of 8 to 87 passengers, serving schools, corporates, sports teams, local councils and community organisations. Coach holidays are packaged transport-plus-accommodation-plus-excursion offerings with door-to-door pickup, short breaks starting from £89, and a bespoke planning arm branded Travel Tailors by Acklams extending into cruises, flights and worldwide hotels. Day trips cover UK seaside, theme parks and scenic destinations with local pickup points. Concert and event travel bundles tickets with return transport, with deposits from £50 per person and staged payment plans. Holidays are consumer-protected through ABTA membership, ATOL licensing and the BCH (Bonded Coach Holidays) scheme.
The go-to-market is sales-led and direct-to-consumer: four physical travel shops in Hull, South Elmsall, Anlaby and Grimsby handle in-person bookings, supported by a phone sales line (01482 887666), the main acklamscoaches.co.uk website for hire enquiries, and a dedicated acklamsholidays.co.uk e-commerce storefront for holidays, day trips and concert travel. Top-of-funnel demand is generated through SEO-oriented travel-advice blog content, printed and digital holiday brochures, and presence at regional travel shows such as Altham's Travel Show in Harrogate. The company is privately held, founder/owner-operated under the Acklam family name, with no disclosed parent, no external institutional investment, and no published revenue or headcount figures beyond the 11–50 employee band.
Acklams Coaches firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Acklams Coaches
- Legal name
- Acklams Leisure Ltd
- Website
- https://acklamscoaches.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1952
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Acklams Coaches is a privately held UK regional coach travel operator based in Beverley, East Yorkshire, providing coach hire, packaged coach holidays, day trips and concert/event transport across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire for schools, corporates, sports teams, community groups and individual travellers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Acklams Coaches industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ground Passenger Transportation
- NAICS
- Charter Bus Industry (485510), Charter Bus Industry (48551)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Charter & Tour Coach Operators (TLAFAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Tour & Sightseeing Coach Charters (THAIAIAB), Luxury / Premium Coach Operators (TLAFAFAE), Luxury/VIP Coach Charters (THAIAIAJ)
Keywords
Where Acklams Coaches is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beverley
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Acklams Coaches business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Coach Hire: Private coach and minibus hire for groups ranging from 8-seater minibuses to 87-seat double decker coaches. Revenue generated through daily or journey-based rental rates, with pricing tailored to distance, duration, vehicle type, and additional requirements. All hires include professional driver.
- Coach Holidays: Packaged holiday offerings including transport, accommodation, and excursions. Holidays range from short breaks (from £89) to extended European tours. Revenue generated through package bookings with deposits starting at £20 per person.
- Day Trips and Excursions: Day trip programmes to popular UK destinations including seaside resorts, theme parks, shopping destinations, and scenic countryside locations. Convenient local pick-up points included.
- Concert and Event Travel: Coach travel to concerts, festivals, and live events across the UK. Ticket sales combined with transport, with deposits starting at £50 per person and payment plans available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Short and Super Breaks holidays |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Coach Holidays |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coach Hire |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Concert Tickets with Transport |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Acklams Coaches product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Acklams Coaches is a UK-based coach and bus hire company providing private coach hire for corporate and private clients, organized package holidays, day trips, and concert travel services. The company operates a modern fleet of vehicles including electric coaches and serves both consumer and business customers across the UK.
Product overview
Acklams Coaches operates a diversified fleet-based coach travel business offering vehicle hire services across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The portfolio spans 17 distinct vehicle types from 6-seat luxury people carriers to 87-seat double decker coaches, complemented by three travel service offerings (coach holidays, day trips, and concert/event travel). The fleet includes standard minibuses and coaches, executive variants with enhanced amenities, luxury vehicles (Senzati, Neoplan Starliner, Irizar i6s), specialty vehicles (team coaches, open top buses), and electric vehicles (Yutong). The services are unified by professional drivers, modern maintenance, and coverage across UK and European destinations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Private Coach Hire
- Organised Holidays
- Day Trips and Excursions
- Concert and Event Travel
- Corporate and School Coach Hire
Quantifiable outcome
- 70+ years of trusted coach holiday experience
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Acklams Coaches
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Acklams Coaches technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Acklams Coaches partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents)coreAcklams Holidays is ABTA protected, providing financial protection for customers booking package holidays. ABTA is a leading travel trade association that provides consumer protection and promotes high standards in the travel industry.
- ATOL (Air Travel Organiser's Licence)coreAcklams Holidays holds ATOL protection, ensuring customer financial protection for package holidays that include air travel, in compliance with UK Civil Aviation Authority regulations.
- BCH (Bonded Coach Holidays)coreBCH is a government-approved consumer protection scheme operated by ABTOT (Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited) that protects customers when booking coach holidays, ensuring financial protection and repatriation if the company becomes insolvent.
- Travel Tailors by AcklamsminorTravel Tailors is a bespoke holiday planning service operated by Acklams, offering tailor-made holidays, cruise bookings, scheduled and charter flights, worldwide hotels, package holidays, car hire, and ferries. Extension of services beyond core coach holiday offerings.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Acklams Coaches competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alfa Travel: UK coach holiday and short-break specialist with very similar product mix to Acklams' Coach Holidays vertical — packaged tours, door-to-door pickup and financial protection. Highly comparable on customer demographic and breadth of holiday offerings.
- Lucketts Travel: Southern UK coach holiday and charter operator running a similarly diversified vehicle fleet and package holiday programme. Direct competitor for UK and European coach holidays targeting the same demographic cohort.
- Johnsons Coaches: Regional UK coach and minibus hire and holiday operator with a diversified fleet and group travel focus. Very comparable on private charter and corporate/school hire in a similar UK regional footprint.
- Shearings (Walls: Long-established UK coach holiday brand that re-emerged following acquisition. Operates package coach holidays with accommodation and excursions included, directly comparable to Acklams' Coach Holidays stream.
Regional players
- Edwards Coaches: Wales-based coach and holiday operator with a comparable multi-vehicle fleet and package holiday product. Similar business model but operating in a different UK region, so primarily a regional rather than direct overlap.
Broad incumbents
- Stagecoach Group: Major UK regional bus and coach operator with significant charter and private hire capabilities through Stagecoach Bus. Wide portfolio and large fleet make it a broad incumbent that overlaps with Acklams at the regional charter level.
- FlixBus UK: Low-cost long-distance scheduled coach operator expanding UK coverage. Competes with Acklams for long-distance passenger share but via scheduled services rather than the charter and packaged-holiday model.
- Megabus UK: Low-cost scheduled coach service on UK intercity corridors. Indirect competitor on price-sensitive long-distance journeys that might otherwise be sourced as private hire or holiday package transport.
- Arriva UK: Large UK bus and coach operator providing regional and school transport as part of a much wider portfolio. Overlaps with Acklams on corporate and school coach hire but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
- National Express: UK's largest scheduled coach operator and a broad incumbent with coach, airport transfer and charter offerings. Overlaps on charter and long-distance transport but predominantly competes via scheduled services rather than packaged holidays.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Acklams Coaches social profiles
Digital presenceAcklams Coaches financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Acklams Coaches leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Acklams Coaches funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Acklams Coaches M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Acklams Coaches
What does Acklams Coaches do?
Acklams Coaches is a UK-based coach and bus hire company providing private coach hire for corporate and private clients, organized package holidays, day trips, and concert travel services. The company operates a modern fleet of vehicles including electric coaches and serves both consumer and business customers across the UK.
Is Acklams Coaches a public or private company?
Acklams Coaches is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Acklams Coaches founded?
Acklams Coaches was founded in 1952. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Acklams Coaches based?
Acklams Coaches is headquartered in Beverley, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Acklams Coaches make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Coach Hire is the primary driver. The others are coach Holidays, day Trips and Excursions and concert and Event Travel.
Who are Acklams Coaches's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alfa Travel, Lucketts Travel, Johnsons Coaches and Shearings (Walls. Edwards Coaches is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Stagecoach Group, FlixBus UK, Megabus UK, Arriva UK and National Express.
Does Acklams Coaches have an API?
No public API is recorded for Acklams Coaches.
What industry is Acklams Coaches in?
Acklams Coaches's product category is Ground Passenger Transportation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAFAFAB, Charter & Tour Coach Operators, with a secondary code of THAIAIAB, Tour & Sightseeing Coach Charters. Its NAICS code is 485510.