Centaur Travel Reviews 

Driver was
Friendly understanding
Prompt
The experience for booking was effortless

We had a sales executive book the trip.

The day before the trip Centaur emailed, giving us the driver's number and said we should only contact the driver an hour before our pick up time.

I messaged the driver at 8am with the following message; Good morning Georghe. This is (my name), your booking from (number and road name), (postcode). Hope all is well with pick up?

We had no reply and at 8.55am, so I called. I was told to "wait" as soon as I said "Morning Gheorge, this is (my name), your 9am pick up from (full address)

They then said "I am on (road name) but it is a very narrow road and can't get through"...I suggested to them that it would be easier if they went around, entering through another side road, they then said "ok" and hung up the phone. It was now 8.57am.

I would like to point out how we have used the exact same pick up point for many years and dozens of trips as a family member has a severely Autistic son, using the same size coaches if not at times, even bigger coaches.

I didn't think too much of it, because I hadn't seen the coach at that time and thought they would just go around, through the side road, as I suggested and that would be the end of it. I was mistaken, because as soon as the coach arrived at the pick up location, rather than letting the people put their stuff away in the under carriage storage and board the coach, because he arrived at 9.07am (late) he got off the coach, walked around and when I approached them and said "Good morning" and stuck out my hand to shake his hand, he immediately said "Excuse me, why you have this as pick up location" to which I replied "I'm sorry but we always have this as a pick up location" to which he said "next time, never do this pick up location"...we request a pick up location as customers, if it is big enough, safe and adhering to all road laws, I couldn't understand why they were being nasty about it. I didn't want any confrontation, as I could tell by now that this driver is a nasty, bully type of person, so I said "ok, that's fine" (Driver is a 6 ft 2 plus figure who stands right up to you, I'm 5 ft 7)

The group then put their things in storage, everyone took their seats and we head off. We had a smooth ride and when we arrived at our location, the Driver called me over to the front and said "Listen, I will come to this exact same place at 6.30pm and we leave 6.50pm ok, I will go to the coach parking" I said "that's fine" and I thought that's fair enough, our departure time is 7pm and I was glad we were going to be away from this driver so we could just enjoy our day out.

At just past 3pm, our group had enjoyed a bit of the water and as we were a group of 61 people, you can imagine, we had quite a few bags. The group wanted to put back their excess bags into the coach storage, but there was no network, so a chunk of the group head off with the excess bags to the coach parking (where they said they will be) only to find the coach parked but the Driver was nowhere to be found. Understandable that he was off on lunch probably...eventually after walking around one of the group got signal and called them, but he said he will be 30 minutes, then arrived almost an hour later and was grumpy about having to allow the group to put their things back into the coach...

At this point, we thought the worst of it was over! On the way back, they were driving recklessly through some countryside back roads, with earphones in his ears, doing 40mph in a 30mph zone, harshly braking and turning, when suddenly he hit into a tree branch which cracked a window. He braked very sharply soon as the bang occured.

When I asked them, if we could stop at a service station (the group were shaken by what happened) he didn't reply, I then asked "is that ok please, a service station please" he SHOUTED "YES"

When we arrived at the service station, he opened the door, stood up and said to the first person coming off (myself) "we will be here 15 mins then I go" I didn't reply, because he is clearly being nasty and wanting a reaction.

The Driver came out, went into a bush and urinated!! Four of us saw him. He then came up to us and said "Hey, I do no more stops" I said "ok, we don't need another stop"

He then said "we have toilet inside coach" I replied saying "but unfortunately the flush isn't working and there is urine all over the floor and faeces in the toilet" (this was faeces left from before and before any one of our group used the toilet) the audacity to say that when he just urinated in a bush less than a minute ago!

Absolutely disgusted by this vile encounter, left scared after he hit the tree branch and his behaviour.

I am a person to always be so lenient, but he should be fired and Centaur most certainly should pay us for all this, but I doubt they will take action against this Driver.
04/09 UPDATE: Centaur reported my review and still no update as promised on 21/08 via email and they requested that I remove this review.

From start to finish they made what was a difficult time easy, no fuss, very reasonable price. Our driver was courteous and very professional. His driving was exemplary. Will definitely be using them again in the future

Centaur Travel has outstanding logistics, excellent communication, and clean, beautiful buses. Our driver, Ken, was kind and friendly, and the service overall was great. Additionally, Centaur Travel offers competitive prices.
We look forward to using their services again in the future.
Thank you.

It was the first time we had used Centaur and they could not have been more helpful or professional.

Punctual and friendly drivers. Bus very comfortable and spacious. Would definately book again!

The coach was clean and comfortable, a really luxury experience.
The drivers were friendly and professional.
The whole experience from booking to completion was very good.

Thank you Gary for getting the Brownies to /from PGL for our adventure weekend away - you were really helpful and cheerful, despite the heat and the traffic problems going.

Look forward to using Centaur again in the future for other Brownie adventures!

We hired a coach for a away rugby trip to Hastings. The game was called off on the day due to weather, the coach did not leave the garage before we informed Centaur. We were offered no refund. We then rebooked with a small discount for the rearranged game. The oppo could not field a side. We this time cancelled on the Thursday evening for the Saturday game. We again lost all our money. We have paid over £1200 and the coach did not leave the garage on either occasion. One being cancelled on the Saturday morning the other on the Thursday night for a Saturday trip. We have paid nearly £1200 for this and not been offered a penny back and now do not get e mails answered either. These things happen when you are a sports club, so if you are a sports team stay well clear, there are many other companies that offer 50% back if your game is cancelled and the coach has not left the garage, or at least answer your mail!!

UPDATE: Since writing this I have been contacted by Roland at Centaur- I have to say his mail, the way he has addressed the issues and wanted to look after us in the form of Customer Care has been outstanding- It seems that my efforts before hit the wrong desk and after the e mail I received today Ive changed the score as they could not have done more to put this correct for all parties- Thank you Roland and Centaur - We will love to use you again

I booked a minibus through Centaur Travel for a family birthday trip to a venue in London. The service was brilliant as was our driver Jonathan who was great. I would definitely recommend this company and would use their services again in the future.

Excellent service from start to finish. Couldn’t have asked for a nicer driver. Jonathon ensured our day out was hassle free and fun!

This was a business booking for a group of 35 people. Centaur gave a quick response to the initial enquiry, their pricing was very competitive and they answered any specific questions clearly.
Once booked, Centaur confirmed timings etc in the run up to the event so I was confident all would happen on time.
Our driver Gary was excellent; friendly, professional and the journey was smooth and comfortable -even on winding country roads.
I would happily recommend Centaur Travel

Unfortunately, I will never be using this service again due to the horrible experience I had this morning.
The coach was supposed to arrive at London Bridge Station at 8:30. I ended up arriving at "London Bridge" near monument which is not at all what I was advised on the phone. This is also not clear on the timetable on the website. Also, I arrived at 9:20 which is 40 minutes late. It was my first day at my new job and somehow by a miracle I was not late. I had to run around different tube stations instead of the journey I had initially planned. Plus I had no idea where I was.
I am so disappointed and thank God this was a free trial.
This was the worst morning I've had in a really long time.
On top of this, for some reason it smelled like urine.

I was already worried about the coach due to buses always being late but this was another level.
I will never again use the service.

I am an understanding person and I completely get traffic however, I have no idea how this service works with commuters that need to go in every day. Are you just dropping everyone in late?

Not okay.

Centaur were extremely organised, efficient and helpful for Lewisham Mencap's trip to Hastings. Our Driver Alan was ace and Rebekah who managed our booking was super too. Recommended!

I took the 789A service from Canary Wharf this evening July 18, 2023. As it was my first time, I was uncertain about how to signal for the bus to stop when returning to Tonbridge. I was supposed to get off at the first stop for Shipbourne Road. I gathered all my belongings, hoping to signal to the driver that I intended to disembark. However, the bus did not stop, and I remained in my spot, hoping that he would stop at the next stop. Unfortunately, he did not.
It seemed like there was someone more noticeable than me who correctly signaled, prompting the bus to stop.
As I got off, I approached the driver and politely asked, "This is my first time using the bus, and I missed my stop. How should I signal for a stop?" I explained that I was standing but missed two stops.
To my disappointment, the driver rudely replied, "You need to tell me; otherwise, I won't know. I have been doing this for 15 years, and I checked the mirror and cameras inside, but you did not come forward or inform me."
However, none of the previous passengers shouted; they simply stood, which is what I expected. I
I reiterated that I had been standing, but it seemed like my kind of person needed to shout, while those who were more visible did not.
I genuinely appreciate the service, but my first experience was far from pleasant, and I felt discriminated against. As the only BAME person on board, I felt invisible and insignificant!
It's worth highlighting that to my knowledge, the ticket does not provide any indication that one needs to notify the driver, but there are designated stops where the bus should halt. Instead, I ended up walking back quite a distance.
On a positive note, the morning service driver (789A) was helpful and even provided guidance when I mentioned it was my first time. However, the evening driver for the 17:10 service from Canary Wharf behaved poorly and did not value me as a customer. As a first-time user, it was not a great customer experience.

All of our coach drivers over the last two days have been fantastic. They were extremely professional, on time and a big help with quickly getting the children on the coach earlier than planned when the weather turned on us. Excellent dealings with the office team also. A big thank you from all at Haberdashers' Hatcham Primary!

Thank you for the good service and nice cooperation.
Our group was impressed with your services and driver.
The tour leader informed me, Mr.Kenneth (driver) he have done so well, very nice and humble.

The buses were well-maintained and the drivers were punctual. We felt very confident with using Centaur for our travel.

We decided to book with Centaur Travel for a ladies group trip from Gravesend to Eastbourne. We booked the Coach with 57 seats. It was clean, comfortable, and fully air-conditioned. Really happy we chose this coach service.
Most importantly, we just want to say a huge thank you to our lovely driver Kenneth! He was an absolute gentleman. Very professional, polite, and approachable which made communication stress-free. He was very kind and accommodating towards our needs – his patience was greatly appreciated. We highly commend him, and Centaur – we will be booking again for future trips! - Kez & Amninder

This was the first time that I made a booking for a van hire. The customer service was helpful and explained everything clearly and concisely.

On the day, we were allocated a driver called Maurice who was exceptional.

He was on time, polite and drove us safely there and back and accommodated our needs.

He was an excellent representative of your organisation and because of this you are guaranteed our custom again