Class 39: Transport & Storage
Class 39 covers moving people and goods, storing things, and arranging travel: couriers and delivery, removals, logistics and freight, warehousing and storage, taxis and car hire, and travel agents and tour operators. It’s the 21st most used of the 45 classes, with 21,978 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 30% fewer registrations than the average class. Delivery and travel names are often short and catchy, which makes them easy to copy and easy to clash.
What class 39 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
Transport; packaging and storage of goods; travel arrangement.
Three ideas sit in this class. Transport is moving people or things from A to B, whether that’s a courier, a removal van, a taxi or a freight company. Packaging and storage covers warehousing, self-storage and packing goods for others. Travel arrangement is booking and organising trips, which is why travel agents and tour operators sit here, even though the hotel and the restaurant at the other end don’t.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is assuming class 39 covers the whole trip. It covers getting there and arranging it, but not where people stay, what they eat or what they do when they arrive.
Take a holiday company that books flights, arranges hotel stays, leads its own guided tours and sells its own branded luggage. Arranging the travel and organising excursions is class 39. Booking the hotels is class 43, conducting the guided tours is class 41, and the luggage is class 18. File only class 39 and the name is protected on the travel arrangements, but not on the parts of the holiday customers remember most.
It’s worth listing every service you offer now and plan to offer, then checking the class for each. A UK application can’t have classes added later.
When you definitely need class 39
- You run a courier, parcel delivery or logistics business
- You offer removals, warehousing or storage
- You run taxis, chauffeur services, car hire or vehicle rental
- You’re a travel agent or tour operator arranging trips for customers
- You deliver food, groceries or other goods to customers’ doors
When you might need class 39 without realising
The businesses I see miss class 39 usually think of themselves as retailers, restaurants or tech companies.
- Restaurants and dark kitchens that deliver. Cooking is class 43, but delivering the food is a class 39 service. Food delivery appears on 1,021 registrations and delivery of food by restaurants on 815.
- Online shops with their own delivery fleet. Selling online is class 35, but running your own delivery service is class 39, where delivery of goods appears on 1,104 registrations.
- Experience and events brands that organise trips. If you arrange travel or tours for customers, that’s travel arrangement in class 39. Organisation of travel tours appears on 959 registrations.
- Packaging companies. Packing goods for others is a class 39 service, on 755 registrations, separate from the packaging materials you might sell.
Not sure whether your service is class 39, 43 or 35? The free class tools below show you where businesses like yours actually file, or you can give us a call.
What businesses actually claim in class 39
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 39 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 39 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| transport | 3,166 | 14.4% | Most use this |
| packaging and storage of goods | 2,577 | 11.7% | Recommended |
| travel arrangement | 2,167 | 9.9% | Recommended |
| transportation logistics | 1,298 | 5.9% | Recommended |
| transport services | 1,202 | 5.5% | Recommended |
| travel services | 1,121 | 5.1% | Recommended |
| delivery of goods | 1,104 | 5.0% | Recommended |
| delivery services | 1,068 | 4.9% | Recommended |
| food delivery | 1,021 | 4.6% | Recommended |
| travel organisation | 1,000 | 4.6% | Some use this |
The heading terms lead. Transport is claimed on 3,166 registrations, followed by packaging and storage of goods (2,577) and travel arrangement (2,167). Those three phrases are the official heading, broken into pieces.
Below them, the table splits between logistics and travel: transportation logistics, delivery services (1,068) and food delivery on one side, travel services and travel organisation on the other. A courier and a travel agent sit in the same class but have very different specifications, so it’s worth naming what you actually do.
What class 39 does not cover
The vehicles themselves are class 12. Running a taxi or a bike hire scheme is class 39, but bikes, cars and vans sold under your brand are goods in class 12, where bicycles appear on 2,407 registrations and electric vehicles on 1,875. A bike hire brand that sells its own bikes needs both.
Marketplaces and business administration are class 35. If your platform connects buyers and sellers, or you manage other businesses’ operations, those are class 35 services, where business administration appears on 12,617 registrations. A delivery app that also runs a marketplace usually needs class 35 too.
Servicing and repairing the fleet is class 37. Running the vans is class 39, but maintaining and repairing vehicles for others is class 37, where vehicle maintenance appears on 457 registrations. A transport firm with its own garage that services other people’s vehicles needs both.
Hotels and accommodation are class 43. Arranging the trip is class 39, but providing the room, the meals or the booking of hotel accommodation is class 43, where hotel services appear on 2,458 registrations and booking of hotel accommodation on 636. A travel brand that books flights and hotels usually needs both classes.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| bicycles | Class 12 | 2,407 |
| electric vehicles | Class 12 | 1,875 |
| business administration | Class 35 | 12,617 |
| vehicle maintenance | Class 37 | 457 |
| hotel services | Class 43 | 2,458 |
| booking of hotel accommodation | Class 43 | 636 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 39 does not cover any of them.
Is class 39 the right class for you?
If you deliver, transport, store or pack goods, move people, hire out vehicles or arrange travel and tours under your own brand, class 39 is very likely yours. If you also sell vehicles, run a marketplace, service vehicles or provide accommodation, look at classes 12, 35, 37 and 43 as well.
Our free class tools build a specification from wording already accepted on real UK filings, so you can see what businesses like yours claim before you commit.
Common questions about class 39
Is food delivery class 39 or class 43?
The delivery is class 39 and the cooking is class 43. A restaurant that delivers its own food usually needs both. A delivery platform that only carries other people’s food needs class 39 for the delivery, and often class 35 or class 42 for the platform side.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOIs a travel agent class 39 or class 43?
Arranging and booking travel is class 39, and travel agency services appear on 510 registrations. Booking hotel rooms specifically is class 43. Most travel agents book both, so they usually claim both classes.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOIs a self-storage business class 39?
Yes. Storage of goods and warehousing are class 39 services, and storage of goods appears on 930 registrations. If you also sell boxes and packing materials under your brand, those are goods in other classes, such as class 16 for cardboard packaging.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOWhat class is a taxi or ride-hailing app?
The taxi service itself is class 39, and taxi services appear on 632 registrations. The downloadable app is class 9, and if you provide the booking platform online as software, class 42 can apply too. Most ride-hailing brands claim more than one class, so it’s worth checking each part of the service.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOAbout these figures. Last researched 23 September 2026, from UK trademarks registered between September 2021 and September 2026 whose entry in this class is still active. That is current drafting practice rather than the historical register. Terms shown are those most frequently used in that period.
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