Commuting by coach FAQ

Centaur operate 5 separate routes in Kent serving Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas. In London all coaches follow the same route via Canary Wharf, the City, Embankment and Westminster.

Kent routes (view map):

• 786 (Zone 3) - Tunbridge Wells: Matfield > Pembury > Hawkenbury > Broadwater Down > Tunbridge Wells Centre > Southborough > Bidborough
• 788 (Zone 3) - Tunbirdge Wells: Langton Green > Rusthall > Tunbridge Wells Centre > High Brooms > Southborough > Bidborough
• 793 (Zone 3) - Tunbirdge Wells/Tonbirdge: East Peckham > Pembury > High Brooms > Knights Wood > South Tonbridge
• 789 (Zone 2) - Tonbridge/Paddock Wood: Paddock Wood > Five Oak Green > Tudely > Tonbridge Centre > Higham Wood > Hildenborough
• SEV (Zone 1) - Sevenoaks: Farningham > Eynsford > Shoreham > Otford > Sevenoaks Centre > Dunton Green > Riverhead > Chipstead

London route (view map):

• London - Canary Wharf, Aldgate, Tower Hill, London Bridge / Cannon Street, Blackfriars, Temple^*, Embankmeent^*, Whitehall^*, Westminster^*, Victoria^*, Millbank^* & New Covent Garden^*.

^*AM only, these bus stops are not served during PM journeys towards Kent.

The Centaur commuter service operates Monday to Friday only, excluding bank holidays.

Firstly, view our network map to locate the route that is closest to your home. Please note that some popular locations are served by more than one route. Once you have identified the route(s) that is convenient for you, visit our commute homepage and open the relevant timetable. In London all services follow the same route.

You can also view the bus stops we serve on Google Maps by clicking any blue bus stop icon. If one of our routes serves the stop, the route number will be displayed in the bus stop information pane under the "Intercity buses" section.

Don't hesitate to contact our sales and reservations team for further help or information regarding bus stop locations and departure times.

Yes, every passenger is guaranteed a seat. We monitor demand closely and allocate suitably sized vehicles to each route. In addition, we position relief vehicles and drivers in strategic locations to ensure we can cope with any unexpected demand.

We operate a mobile ticket system on our Canary Wharf and London commuter service. Using the system is easy, and all you need to do is create an account, buy your mobile ticket, which will be delivered to you by email and then present it to your driver upon boarding the coach.

To find out more about how to purchase and use a mobile ticket and answers to common questions, please read the Mobile tickets help and FAQ page.

Visit tickets.centaurtravel.co.uk and register for an account. Verify your account via email.

Once verified, log in to your account at tickets.centaurtravel.co.uk and make your purchase. Once checkout is complete, you will receive your mobile ticket by email; you can also print your mobile ticket at this stage if you prefer. Or, if you wish to email or print your mobile ticket later, you can log back into your account and access your mobile ticket via the 'My tickets' button located at the top of the page.

You can find all of our prices on the commuter fares page.

No, from 20 Sep 2021, you do not need to pre-book or reserve a seat before you travel. 

Simply turn up at the bus stop and present your mobile ticket for scanning or purchase a Single or Day Return ticket from the driver via contactless payment. Please note that our drivers are unable to accept cash.

If you are travelling from a request stop (e.g. Bexley, Black Prince), you will still need to notify us in advance of your travel in the usual way.

Yes, tickets are valid for travel either to or from London.

Our routes are grouped into different zones for ticket pricing (similar to the Underground):

View network map showing all routes and zone.

Yes, but a £5 upgrade charge may be applicable depending on the ticket you currently hold. Please get in touch with our sales and reservations team for further information.

You can see the remaining trips left on your ticket by logging into your account at tickets.centaurtravel.co.uk. Once logged in, click the 'My tickets' button at the top of the page. Valid tickets are shown in the 'Live tickets' section, and the remaining trips are shown on the right-hand side of each ticket adjacent to the 'print ticket' button.

Yes, of course! We offer a two-day trial completely free of charge and welcome all potential new customers to give us a try.

Please complete our online form to book your free trial. Once we've received your details, we will contact you to register on our mobile ticket platform so that we can send you your complimentary tickets.

Boarding

Please make yourself as visible as possible when waiting at a bus stop by standing adjacent to the curb, outside of any bus shelter, and raising your hand to hail the driver. Please ensure that you are in sight as the driver approaches.

Alighting

You will find a bell push button above your seat on most of our coaches, which you can press to alert the driver as you approach your bus stop. These buttons either have a bell or service icon. We also advise informing your driver as you board where you plan to alight, particularly if you are a new customer, in case the coach you are travelling on does not have a bell push button.

You'll find the following comfort and convenience facilities on board our coaches:

• Free Wi-Fi
• USB charging points at each sea
• Reclining leather seats
• More legroom than the train
• Toilets
• Air-conditioning
• Reading lights
• Seat back tables and/or cup holder
• Overhead baggage rack (and use of luggage hold for larger items)

Please note that the above facilities are available on all regular commuter vehicles. Occasionally, due to operational factors, alternative fleet vehicles may be in use which do not have these facilities onboard.

Search for networks on your device and connect to "centaur-coaches". Once connected please wait up to 30 seconds for the network sign-in pop-up or page (depending on device) to appear. Accept the t&c's and click the connect button, you're all set to surf!

Yes, you can track the location of our services using our coach tracker.

Yes, all of our coaches are fitted with baggage racks or lockers above every seat. For large items of luggage, bicycles, etc. please advise your driver who will place it in the luggage hold area of the vehicle. If possible, please contact our sales and reservations team prior to travelling with a large item so we may inform the driver ahead of your journey.

For safety reasons it is not possible to store large items in the passenger seating area.

For large items of luggage, bicycles, etc. please advise your driver who will place it in the luggage hold area of the vehicle. If possible, please contact our sales and reservations team prior to travelling with a large item so we may inform the driver ahead of your journey.

For safety reasons it is not possible to store large items in the passenger seating area.

If you think you have lost something please contact our sales and reservations team via our contact form or phone as soon as possible. We will typically respond within a few hours but it can take longer if we have to check a vehicle and recover the item to our depot.

If we find your item it can be collected on-board a coach via the driver, in person or for small items we can arrange to return by post (charges may apply).

Several of our stops in London are only served during AM journeys, and it is not possible to board a coach here for a PM journey towards Kent. This improves reliability by avoiding Parliament Sq. and Whitehall during PM journeys, areas that are often subject to unpredictable traffic conditions caused by political related events.

For travel advice regarding reaching our PM stops by other modes of transport or for any other bus stop related queries please contact our sales and reservations team.

Refunds are available for Annual, Bi-annual and 4-week season tickets. Single, Day Return, 1 Week and Books of Single tickets are non-refundable. To arrange a refund please contact our sales and reservations team.

We welcome all feedback, which we use to help us improve our service. For general feedback please complete our contact form.