Wilfreda Beehive
| Parent | FirstGroup |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1949 |
| Headquarters | Adwick le Street, England |
| Service type | Bus & coach services |
| Depots | 1 |
| Fleet | 45 (April 2026) |
| Website | www.wilfreda.co.uk |
Wilfreda Beehive is a bus and coach operator based in Adwick le Street, England. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup,
History
Wilfreda Luxury Coaches was formed in 1949 by Bill and Marie Scholey. They took the name from a coach they bought from Wilfred Graham, a taxi operator in Doncaster who named his daughter Wilfreda and then named a coach after her.[1][2]
At first, the company operated coach services from a depot at Ranskill, near Bawtry. In 1987 it acquired Beehive Services of Adwick le Street with the combined business renamed Wilfreda Beehive, growing its fleet from nine to 23 coaches.[1][3]
After deregulation, Wilfreda Beehive began operating route services, selling them to Mainline Group in 1997.[3]
In 2001 Wilfreda began operating service buses again. Many of its routes are school services or South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive contracts, a large number of which have been won from other operators. It later restarted operating competitive commercial services. In 2006, the company took over Eagre Coaches, Gainsborough which operated coach tours and holidays.[4]
The company remained in family ownership, managed by the founders' grandson Peter Scholey until it was sold in April 2026 to FirstGroup.[5][6]
Fleet
As at April 2026, the fleet consisted of 45 buses and coaches.[7][8]
References
- ^ a b Putting the buzz in Wilfreda Beehive Coach & Bus Week issue 676 28 April 2005 pages 19-23
- ^ "Memories from 70 years of Wilfreda Beehive coach travel". Yorkshire Post. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ a b Fleet in Focus Buses issue 745 April 2017 page 81
- ^ Our History Wilkfreda Beehive
- ^ Redwood, Francis (11 April 2026). "Well-known bus company acquires coach operator to strengthen portfolio". Bradford Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ First adds Wilfreda Beehive to coach portfolio Coach & Bus Week 14 April 2026
- ^ FirstGroup expands UK coach portfolio with acquisition of Wilfreda Beehive FirstGroup 10 April 2026
- ^ Looking back at Doncaster's iconic Wilfred Beehive Doncaster Free Press 13 April 2026
External links
Media related to Wilfreda Beehive at Wikimedia Commons