HMK Class
About HMK
H.M.Kristiansens Automobilbyrå AS is our official name though today mostly referred to as HMK or HMK Class and is situated in Oslo, Norway.
HMK is Europe’s oldest transportation company and the largest privately owned coach company in Norway that continues to evolve after a distinguished history stretching back 137 years (2010).
Today we can offer a wide variety of options from luxurious chauffeur driven limousines to an 87 seat double-decker. Our fleet that consist of 70 first class vehicles will most likely fit any need you have for ground transportation.
Some of the services we can provide are:
- Luxury coaches up to 87 seats
- Handling Incentives / Congress
- Various sightseeing tours
- Limousine service
- Airport transfers
- Meet & Greet
History
The company takes its name from the founder Hans Martin Kristiansens, who started with horse-drawn transport back in 1873. His three ‘Victoria’ carriages, with horse teams of two, four and six, began by carrying the local gentry around the city. His next venture was sightseeing in Frognerseteren, Holmenkollen and weekend trips to Sundvolden, which lies 50 km from Oslo.
Mr Kristiansens then added two black carriages (glazed) for funerals that could also be switched for public transportation. Another major development was the appointment of HMK as a supplier for the Royal Palace and in 1905 a royal carriage was provided for the Danish prince when he was crowned as the Norwegian king Haakon.
The company became fully motorised in 1937 and with 8-10 seat sedans and 12-16 seat coaches continued to be Oslo’s leading service provider of sightseeing and trips that mainly attracted American, English and German tourists (funeral services continued to be a major activity for some years later). HMK was a family company and continued as such when bought by the Halvorsens in 1977. The current Chairman of the Board is Mr Ola Halvorsen, who is co-owner with his brother Halvor.
In 2006 the company Bislet Limousine AS became a part of the HMK concern extending our transportation services to include chauffeur driven limousines, vans and minibuses. The drivers are skilled, reliable, well dressed and multilingual, all of them English speaking.
In 2004 HMK started the “Hop On Hop Off! tour Oslo Vision” that allowed you to see all of Oslo’s main attractions at your own pace and convenience and later in 2007 joined the franchising concept of City Sightseeing - the world's leading open top bus tour operator, with the same concept, which we also expanded to Bergen in 2010
In 2008 HMK became a part of Global Passenger Network (GPN), an elite group of networks representing the best motor coaches and travel companies in the world.
