Travel Perfection From This Scottish Family Business Gem

In a world of global travel and promises of ‘first-class’ service that often fail to meet their billing, there is something quietly special about a chauffeured journey done well - the pleasure of a memorable trip enhanced by the knowledge that every small detail has been taken into account in creating a travel experience that will never be forgotten.

Little’s Chauffeur Drive, a firm grounded in tradition yet ever evolving, modest in its origins but ambitious in its standards, has dedicated itself to providing world-class chauffeur services for over half a century. This family run Scottish business has built its reputation on customer service excellence, attention to detail, reliability, and a respect for the road less travelled.

Humble Origins, Rooted in Family

The story of Little’s begins in 1966, when two brothers, George and Mike Wills, purchased a modest three car taxi company from George Little, who was emigrating to Australia. From these humble beginnings, Little’s Chauffeur Drive was born. Mike, a mechanic by trade, looked after the cars - ensuring they ran smoothly - while George, with a more entrepreneurial tendency, took on bookings, drove the vehicles, and steered the business’s day to day growth.

In the early years, their work was predominantly in weddings and leisure travel. The tools of the trade were humble: guidebooks, wall maps of Scotland, carefully planned itineraries and pre trip checks. There was no GPS tracking of chauffeurs, no instant updates. Journeys had to be planned with rigour, with allowances for weather, road conditions and distance. It was a business built on precision, trust and the belief that clients deserved more than just a ride - they deserved a memorable journey.

Expansion and Second Generation Leadership

By the late 1970s, as global travel and corporate demands intensified, Little’s began to stretch beyond its original scope. George was among the founding members of the 'International Limousine Association' which helped establish partnerships with chauffeur drive companies worldwide. This network enabled Little’s not just to host local clients, but to become a part of international travel plans.

A pivotal change came when George’s daughter, Heather Matthews, entered the family business in 1991. Initially helping during her postgraduate studies, particularly in marketing, Heather was asked to lead efforts to expand Little’s profile among financial services clients from London. Her success in those early years led her to commit full time, becoming a partner in 1997, and eventually Managing Director in 2005, as her father stepped back.

As Heather explains “As so many of my second-generation family business peers will tell you, it was not my plan to enter the business, far less to lead it. However, what started as an opportunity to help grow the business for my father, became something which I committed to because I loved it, and looking back it was the best decision I ever made.”

Weathering Challenges, Embracing Opportunities

Over the decades Little’s has had to negotiate many hurdles - recessions, crashes & shifting market demands. One of the most severe challenges arrived with the global COVID 19 pandemic. As travel slammed to a halt, Heather Matthews made a difficult but strategic decision: to put Little’s into what she called a 'financial coma'. In other words, the firm scaled back completely, furloughed staff, put cars off the road and conserved resources - so that when travel resumed, Little’s would still be standing.

Not only did it survive, it went on to thrive. The COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021 proved something of a turning point. Suddenly, Little’s found itself in demand again, scaling up its operations quickly - from relatively low activity to running hundreds of hires per day, employing dozens more chauffeurs and adding over 100 vehicles to meet the surge.

As Heather continues “When the reality of the pandemic was realised, it was one of the lowest points of my life. Leading a family business comes with great responsibility and I knew I had to draw on every ounce of my own resilience to make sure we survived."

"Eighteen months of sleepless nights, lots of tears, thwarted plans to pivot, plenty of cold showers and far too many zoom calls to count seems like a bad dream now."

"We came out the other side better than ever, and our growth in the last three years is something I would never have believed possible back in the dark days of 2020.”

Values, Luxury & Sustainability

Through all growth and change, one thread has remained constant: family values. Although Little’s now operates on a global stage - serving corporate clients, large events, incentive travellers, tour designers, and more - the tone remains personal. The ethos is not 'corporate first' but 'client first' which is combined with high standards of professionalism, discretion, clean and well-presented vehicles, and rigorous planning.

Being a family business is important to Heather and the wider Little's team. As she explains, “Our values are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in them, we measure them and we reward using them.”

Sustainability has gradually become central to the company’s identity. Over recent years Little’s has:

• Transitioned much of its fleet to hybrid vehicles. In Scotland, more than half the fleet (and all the saloon cars ) is now hybrid, with plans to increase this further.
  

• Been awarded 'Silver' in the Green Tourism Awards for all the steps taken to eliminate carbon emissions across the whole business.
  

• Made wider environmental commitments: planting native Scottish trees through 'Trees for Life' and offset all carbon generated via the Scottish fleet since 2021, adopted green practices in washing & maintenance, and zero chemical cleaning.
  

• Eliminated single use plastic bottled water from its Scottish cars, the first chauffeur company in the UK to do so almost ten years ago, replacing them with recyclable aluminium cans to reduce waste.

These changes reflect Little’s belief that luxury and responsibility can go hand in hand. And in today’s world the market demands family businesses lead the way in driving down emissions.

Present Day & Looking Ahead

Today Little’s Chauffeur Drive boasts over 40 luxury vehicles in its Scottish fleet, a staff of more than 70 (chauffeurs plus office based roles), and a reputation for resilience and adaptation. The leadership team under Heather has expanded and restructured in recent years to support ambitious growth plans.

In recent times the Company has expanded the scale of its Scottish operation. In 2025, Little’s acquired Vigilant Chauffeur Services in Aberdeen, bringing together two well regarded firms, and allowing Little’s to embed itself more deeply in the North East of Scotland with its own dedicated fleet and local presence. A significant step as they near their 60th anniversary.

The touring side of the business has tripled in size since 2022, with a dedicated Touring Team created in 2023, offering high-end chauffeur driven sightseeing tours to visitors from North America and Europe. This remains a focus for growth as Scotland becomes a more sought after than ever destination due to its cooler summers.

Financially, the business has also made major investments. In 2024 it committed over £1 million to increasing its fleet with newer vehicles - particularly people carriers with higher capacity which help reduce carbon footprint per passenger.

What Makes Little’s Special

What sets Little’s apart is this combination of legacy and forward thinking. They are equally proud of their roots as a modest family taxi firm as they are of offering chauffeur services for world class events, global corporate clients, even heads of state. Their success isn’t in casting aside tradition but in turning it into a foundation from which to build something both elegant and resilient.

Meticulous attention to detail, discretion, an understanding of Scotland’s beauty and quirks, and a willingness to invest in sustainability give the brand its character. It’s not just about arriving in comfort- it’s about being confident your journey is handled with care, whether in a hybrid BMW 7 Series saloon cruising Glasgow roads or a luxury people carrier negotiating the Highlands.

Final Thoughts: Legacy in Motion

Little’s Chauffeur Drive demonstrates how a family business, over generations, can adapt without losing identity. From two brothers buying a three car fleet in 1966 to a modern company with international reach, environmental awareness, and nearly sixty years of learning, the journey has been anything but ordinary.

As they look toward 60 years in the business, their path offers lessons in leadership, resilience and purpose. In a quite literal sense, Little’s shows that driving forward with tradition and sustainability, can make all the difference.