About Us

Freys was not created as an ordinary company. It began as a statement of ambition. On 14 February 1896, Gustaf Liljedahl brought together three established horsedrawn transport firms — Westerberg & Co, Käck & Co and his own family operation — and formed AB Freys Hyrverk, registered as a corporate group from the very first day under a charter approved by King Oscar II. It was a bold fusion and a clear sign of a young leader who understood scale long before the word existed in business vocabulary. 

From the start, Freys stood apart. Its drivers wore immaculate Englishinspired livery: dark blue coats with polished buttons, white trousers, gleaming boots and a tall top hat — and always cleanshaven cheeks. At a time when many drivers were known for disorder, Freys stood for discipline, elegance and trust. This wasn’t just transport. It was a standard same as today. 

Even the name carried prestige. Frey came from the celebrated endurance horse who captured national admiration by winning the longdistance ride between Jönköping and Stockholm in 1895 — a symbol of endurance, clarity and strength that naturally aligned with the company’s identity. 

As demand grew, so did the ambition. 
In 1898, Gustaf commissioned the construction of what Stockholm would come to call the Horse Palace — today the site of Sture Gallerian. Completed in 1900, it was a masterpiece of engineering: four floors connected by monumental lifts capable of transporting horses and full carriages, workshops for saddlers and carriage makers, running water at every stall, central heating and an asphalted courtyard. Nothing like it existed in Scandinavia. It represented an operational philosophy built on precision, innovation and longterm thinking. 

By the turn of the century, Freys operated more than 100 horses, far exceeding any competitor and securing its place as the leading provider of premium transport for the city’s most distinguished families. 
And as the new century began, the business continued to evolve. Freys expanded into new services — including relocation support for American travellers and horsedrawn funeral processions — while following the global shift toward automobiles. Gustaf understood the opportunity early, but it was not until 1907 that he made the decisive move: investing in a highclass private car fleet. When he did, the business accelerated rapidly and entered a new era of modern transport. 

Gustaf Liljedahl’s spirit still moves through the organisation today — not as nostalgia, but as a mindset. A mindset built on an obsession with customer needs and an uncompromising focus on the essentials: punctuality, security, discretion, accessibility and service. These principles have shaped generations of employees and continue to define Freys’ presence among the world’s leading chauffeurdriven service providers. 

And the ambition has never stopped. 
The vision now is to lead the industry toward its most sustainable future — including the bold goal of incorporating the first hydrogen fuelcell vehicles before 2030. When that day arrives, one can imagine Liljedahl looking down with quiet approval at how far the company’s thinking has carried it. 

Looking back across 130 years, the pattern is unmistakable. Freys did not evolve into a group — it started as one. The culture that shaped the early drivers, the structure that defined the Horse Palace, the entrepreneurial clarity that guided every major decision — all of it has travelled forward unchanged in spirit, even as the world around it transformed. 

We were a group then. 
We are a group now. 
And our legacy stands alone in today’s market — an unbroken tradition of structure, responsibility and quiet excellence that has been refined for more than a century.