East Yorkshire (bus company)
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transport (bus services) |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Founder | Ernest John Lee and H. A. Harvey (original firms) |
| Headquarters | Kingston upon Hull , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire |
Key people | Ben Gilligan (Managing Director) |
| Products | Local and regional bus transportation, coach services |
| Parent | Go-Ahead Group |
East Yorkshire provides both local and regional bus transportation throughout the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire areas in England. Within North Yorkshire, its services operate under the North Riding brand. The company became part of the Go-Ahead Group following its acquisition in June 2018.
History
The origins of East Yorkshire trace back to two separate firms: Lee & Beaulah, created by Ernest John Lee, and Hull & District Motor Services, founded by H. A. Harvey. Both businesses were purchased by British Electric Traction in October 1926, which then established East Yorkshire Motor Services Ltd, the company's official legal title that continues today.
In 1968, British Electric Traction was sold to the Transport Holding Company, which subsequently evolved into the National Bus Company in 1969.
Prior to 1972, East Yorkshire's buses were painted in a dark blue shade accented with a primrose stripe and white roofline detailing. After integration into NBC, the primrose band was replaced with white, and NBC's corporate fleet branding was applied. This design gave way to the standard "poppy" red livery introduced in October 1973.
Deregulation
The deregulation of bus services in 1987 marked a turning point for East Yorkshire. At that time, its fleet had reduced to around 200 vehicles and management was shared with Lincolnshire Road Car. Following deregulation, the company began growing again and was sold through a management buyout led by seven senior managers. That same year, it expanded by acquiring former United Automobile Services depots located in Pickering and Scarborough, rebranding these operations as Scarborough & District.
After the buyout, East Yorkshire continued to grow by purchasing several local independent operators such as Connor & Graham, Cottingham Mini Coaches, and Primrose Valley Coaches. The acquisition of Hardwick's of Scarborough from Wallace Arnold marked the latter’s final disposal of a bus company.
At the time of privatisation, the fleet’s colour scheme featured silver and blue tones, although some vehicles retained National Bus Company's "poppy" red or minibus liveries; eventually, the red buses were updated to a red and grey scheme. In Kingston upon Hull, AEC Routemaster double-decker buses were introduced to compete against Kingston upon Hull City Transport. Competition also came from Appleby's of Conisholme until it was sold to Bowen Transport Group in 2000.
East Yorkshire’s first acquisition outside its traditional area occurred in 1992 with Finglands Coachways. This expansion continued with purchases including Hull-based Metro Citybus, Rhodes Coaches, and Thornton Dale Coaches. Throughout the 1990s, further acquisitions included Connor & Graham (1993), Hart Coaches (1995), Charterplan from former GM Buses (1996), Hollings Coaches (1996), Armstrong Galley (1997), and Kingstonian Travel Services (1997).
In January 2004, East Yorkshire acquired Whittle Coach & Bus from Kidderminster; however, its coach division was sold to Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel in December 2014. March 2009 saw the purchase of Veolia Transport’s Hull operations, incorporating their staff, routes, and nine vehicles into East Yorkshire’s network.
The Driffield depot was closed in May 2014 with personnel and assets reassigned elsewhere within the company. That month also marked the introduction of the commercial Moors Explorer ME1 service—a seasonal route connecting Hessle, Hull, Beverley, and Danby—replacing previous Moorsbus operations.
In May 2015, East Yorkshire became the first operator in the UK to take delivery of the MCV EvoSeti double-decker buses. The fleet was further strengthened by an additional eighteen vehicles received in 2017.
The Hornsea depot ceased operations in May 2018 with employees being redeployed internally. Plans announced in 2019 included closing the Beverley depot and consolidating those services at Hull.
Finglands Coachways
The initial expansion beyond its traditional area for the company took place in early 1992 with the acquisition of Finglands Coachways based in Rusholme. In October 1995, EYMS further expanded by purchasing the original Stagecoach Manchester operation, which was then part of Stagecoach Ribble, operating a fleet of 13 buses primarily on route 192.
In August 2013, FirstGroup reached an agreement, pending regulatory clearance, to acquire Finglands Coachways' bus services, including the Rusholme depot lease, routes, and approximately 100 employees—excluding any vehicles. This transaction received approval in January 2014, with operations transferring to First Greater Manchester in February 2014.
Later in October 2013, EYMS divested Finglands Coachways' coach charter division to Bullocks Coaches.
Whittle Bus & Coach
The acquisition of Whittle Bus & Coach from Kidderminster in January 2004 marked EYMS’s second significant out-of-area purchase since the 1987 management buyout. At that time, Whittle operated a fleet of 50 vehicles servicing rural areas of Shropshire and Worcestershire.
In December 2014, EYMS sold the coach segment to Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel, which included nine coaches. Post-sale, National Express contracted routes were reassigned to other operators, and local bus services ceased operations in January 2015.
Go-Ahead Group ownership
East Yorkshire Motor Services became part of the Go-Ahead Group in June 2018, concluding three decades of family ownership. The company was structured to function independently within Go North East. By October 2018, East Yorkshire invested £1 million in new Ticketer smart ticketing technology, facilitating contactless and mobile payment options.
In March 2019, the company underwent rebranding to East Yorkshire, unveiling a new logo inspired by the white rose emblem of Yorkshire. The refreshed brand identity was introduced at an event held at KCOM Stadium, accompanied by two vehicles sporting the updated livery. This rebrand aligned with plans for a £6 million investment in fleet modernization.
June 2022 saw East Yorkshire separate from Go North East to operate as an autonomous company within the Go-Ahead Group. Following Martijn Gilbert’s departure from Go North East in August 2022, Ben Gilligan—formerly East Yorkshire's Area Director—was elevated to Managing Director.
In May 2024, East Yorkshire took over management of four coach operators located in North and West Yorkshire acquired by Go-Ahead: Compass Royston (Middlesbrough), Esk Valley Coaches (Whitby), Fourway Coaches (Leeds), and Procters Coaches (Leeming Bar). This expansion incorporated around 200 employees and 140 vehicles. Each business continues to operate as a distinct subsidiary under the East Yorkshire umbrella.
EastRider sub-brand
The premium sub-brand EastRider was introduced in August 2020, showcasing buses with unique liveries, E Leather seating, and USB charging points. Initial enhancements covered services 45 and X46/X47 connecting Bridlington and Hull with York, serviced by eight Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC double-deck buses.
By January 2021, EastRider extended its coverage to include services 75 and X7 between Hull and Withernsea using refurbished MCV EvoSeti double-deckers. Simultaneously, services 55 and X5 linking Goole and Hull were integrated into the sub-brand fleet with former National Express Coaches Volvo B9R/Caetano Levante coaches and cascaded Volvo B9TL/Wright Gemini 2 double-deck buses sourced from Go North East.
In September 2022, routes serving Hull/Cottingham/Beverley and Hornsea were revamped under EastRider utilizing refurbished Plaxton Centro and MCV EvoSeti double-deck vehicles. Service 23 connects Hull to Beverley; Service 24 runs between Hull and Hornsea via Skirlaugh; Service 25 links Hornsea with Hessle passing through Beverley, Cottingham, and Anlaby. Additionally, service 121 between Hull and Bridlington adopted the EastRider branding.
Service X5 was withdrawn in March 2023 due to insufficient passenger numbers.
Adjustments made in April 2023 to services X46 and X47 included modifying service X47 to operate hourly during daytime Monday–Saturday and rerouting it along Beverley Road (matching route X46) instead of Cottingham. This scheduling change provides up to two buses per hour each way along the corridor connecting Hull, Beverley, and York.
East Yorkshire Coaches
Under the East Yorkshire Coaches brand, the company offers a fleet of vehicles available for hire, day excursions, and short breaks. Additionally, it operates regional and national routes on behalf of National Express. Between November 2001 and October 2007, the business also traded as Frodingham Coaches following its acquisition. The earlier nationwide coaching service, East Yorkshire Travel, was sold in 1996.
Go-Ahead West Yorkshire
Go-Ahead West Yorkshire, a subsidiary managed by East Yorkshire, was established in late 2024 and is based at Fourway Coaches' depot in Cleckheaton. This entity is one of four coach operators acquired by Go-Ahead Group in May 2024. Operations commenced on 23 February 2023 after securing the contract to run service 571 between Halifax and Shelf, previously operated by Arriva Yorkshire. By August 2025, the company manages several tendered bus routes across West Yorkshire and is actively pursuing opportunities within the West Yorkshire Combined Authority's 'Weaver Network' bus franchising initiative.
Fleet and depots
As of July 2021, East Yorkshire maintains a fleet comprising 271 buses and coaches distributed among seven depots located throughout East and North Yorkshire: Bridlington, Elloughton, Kingston upon Hull, Pocklington, and two sites in Scarborough (Barry's Lane and Westwood Road), as well as Withernsea. The fleet mainly consists of diesel-powered single and double-deck buses manufactured by Alexander Dennis and Volvo Buses. Backed by £5.7 million from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 2 fund alongside a £500 million investment from Go-Ahead Group into Wrightbus battery electric vehicles, an order for 21 electric buses is planned for delivery during 2025.
The company's headquarters are situated at the primary depot on Anlaby Road, housed within Grade II listed Gothic Revival architecture. This site has encountered challenges including a minor office fire in December 2020 and a partial roof collapse in January 2023 that resulted in damage to one vehicle. Installation of electric vehicle charging stations began in November 2025 to support the incoming Wrightbus electric fleet.
In late 2024, proposals were submitted for constructing a new £40 million depot in north Hull near Dunswell to replace the existing Anlaby Road and Elloughton facilities. Designed to accommodate over 200 buses with maintenance workshops and electric charging infrastructure, this development would also feature a 500-space park-and-ride with drive-through amenities. However, concerns raised by Yorkshire Water regarding water mains infrastructure alongside objections from local residents led to the withdrawal of this planning application in March 2025. Developers Ashcourt intend to submit revised plans.
Plans are underway for a new Scarborough depot equipped with electric bus charging on Taylor Way in Eastfield, intended to consolidate operations currently split between Barry's Lane and Westwood Road locations.
In media
The company was featured in an eight-part documentary series titled On The Yorkshire Buses, which aired on Channel 5 in July 2014 with narration by Simon Farnaby.
In April 2021, it appeared in an episode of Dom Digs In broadcast on BBC One, narrated by Dominic Littlewood. Filmed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this episode highlighted Dominic’s experience working at the Hull depot and showcased the company’s vital role within the local community.