The courier George and driver John provide an effortless guide to the day. The station at Bodiam is interesting with a small museum for nineteen fifties hopping families. The train is steam and car... See more
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Review summary
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Reviews shaping this summary
A very confident and professional driver. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. A very enjoyable day. The only downside was asking for a glass of lemonade to drink with the fish and chip lunch a... See more
Company replied
This was my first trip with Kirbys and I was very impressed. John, our driver, was excellent in every respect, especially as he had a lot of rain to deal with! He also ‘found’ me when I didn’t realise... See more
Company replied
Excellent coach driver, very friendly & informative. Only glitch was he told us we weren’t allowed to take back packs, food or drink to the venue! We all unpacked our food etc, had to buy expensive fo... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
Kirbys Coaches offers Coach Day Trips, Holidays and Private Hire across the UK and Europe, with Pick Up Points across Essex.
Contact info
92a High Street, SS6 8HR, Rayleigh, United Kingdom
- 01268 777 777
- info@kirbyscoaches.co.uk
- www.kirbyscoaches.co.uk
4.5
Excellent
62 reviews
No recent history of asking for reviews
This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative
Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 24 hours
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A day out at Ely.
I had a lovely day out at Ely. The cathedral was very interesting with beautiful architecture. The market had a variety of stools from handmade soaps and bags, flowers, antiques, pet treats and an assortment of food choices. The shops were very good too. The driver was very polite and professional and had a lot of information about the location. The coach was clean and comfortable.
12 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your day in Ely, from exploring the magnificent Cathedral to browsing the market and shops.
It’s also wonderful to hear your kind comments about your driver and that you found him polite, professional and informative. We’re pleased you enjoyed a clean and comfortable journey too.
Thank you for travelling with Kirbys, and we look forward to welcoming you on board again soon!
we had a great day
we had a great day, in nice sunshine after a big downpour. David our driver was really good so helpful too. only downside was pick up was 30 mins late
17 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your review! We’re delighted to hear you had a great day and that the sunshine made an appearance after the downpour!
It’s especially lovely to hear your kind comments about David and how helpful he was throughout the day – we’ll be sure to pass these on.
We’re sorry that your pick-up was around 30 minutes late and appreciate your patience while waiting. We’re pleased this didn’t prevent you from enjoying the rest of your day, and we hope to welcome you on board again soon!
Fantastic day in Rye and Hastings with…
Fantastic day in Rye and Hastings with lovely people and an amazing caring driver - look out for more bookings from me x
17 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your fantastic review! We’re delighted to hear you had such an enjoyable day exploring Rye and Hastings and enjoyed the company of your fellow passengers too.
It’s especially lovely to hear your kind words about your driver – we’ll be sure to pass them on.
We’ll certainly look forward to seeing those future bookings and welcoming you on board again very soon!
Before sending an email to me you…
Before sending an email to me you should have checked as myself and my friend did not go to the trip with you yesterday. I had to cancel on Saturday as I stated then I am registered disabled and had hurt my leg so can not walk at the moment. On Tuesday morning the driver phoned me to ask where I was so had not been told I had cancelled. I phoned the office to complain and now today I got an an email once again about the trip. To say I am disappointed with Kirby’s is an understatement. For many years I was a member and had some lovely Warner holidays and other holidays and day trips as well. For the last couple of years due to my disability I have not been able to travel much so was looking forward to the day trip but due to unforeseen circumstances I could not go. I had thought there might have been a small refund or to be told the money would be held over for another trip when I could walk somewhat better.
16 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We are very sorry to hear about your recent experience, particularly as you have enjoyed many holidays and day trips with Kirbys over the years.
We have looked into what happened and can see that you contacted us on Saturday to advise that, unfortunately, you would be unable to travel. We sincerely apologise that this information was not correctly recorded and passed to your driver, which resulted in you receiving a telephone call on the morning of departure. We have spoken with our team regarding this, as the message should have reached the driver.
We also apologise for the follow-up email you received. These emails are scheduled in advance for passengers booked to travel and, on this occasion, the system did not recognise your late cancellation before the email was sent. We completely appreciate how insensitive this must have appeared following your earlier conversations with us, and we will be reviewing how these emails are set up to see how we can better manage circumstances such as this in future.
With regard to your request for a refund or transfer, we do appreciate how disappointing it was to miss a trip you had been looking forward to. Unfortunately, as we were notified only a few days before departure, we did not have sufficient time to resell the places. Our cancellation terms apply because, by this stage, the costs associated with operating the excursion have already been committed and still have to be met regardless of whether a passenger is able to travel. For this reason, we are unable to refund or transfer the full value of a booking following a cancellation at such short notice. These cancellation conditions are detailed within our booking terms and conditions and apply consistently to all customers.
Where someone is unexpectedly unable to travel, it may also be possible for another person to travel in their place, subject to the circumstances of the booking, and our team can advise on this.
We are particularly sorry that the administrative errors surrounding your cancellation added to your disappointment. Although our cancellation terms were applicable to the booking, the subsequent telephone call and email should have been avoided, and for those we sincerely apologise.
Thank you for your many years of travelling with Kirbys. We very much hope that when circumstances allow, we have the opportunity to welcome you on board again.
It was a bit of a surprise when the…
It was a bit of a surprise when the coach pulled into the dock area. But the lady from the ship came and spoke to us, explaining what was ahead. She wasn’t wrong in bigging it up. A really enjoyable experience.
16 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review! It sounds like the day began with a little mystery, but we’re delighted that what followed proved to be such an enjoyable experience.
It’s great to hear that the welcome and introduction helped set the scene for what was ahead and that the experience lived up to expectations.
Thank you for travelling with Kirbys, and we hope to welcome you on board for another memorable day out soon!
Lovely day out.
From getting on the Coach to arriving home the whole experience was enjoyable. The Driver and Sue were very informative and the Venue was delightful. Elvis Delvis was a very convincing Singer and Entertainer. The food was good.
16 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the whole experience, from boarding the coach right through to arriving home.
It’s wonderful to hear your kind comments about the driver and Sue, and that you enjoyed the venue, food and entertainment. It sounds like Elvis Delvis certainly put on a great show!
Thank you for travelling with Kirbys, and we look forward to welcoming you on board for another enjoyable day out soon!
An excellent day out in Suffolk
It was an excellent day trip to a lovely part of the country. The coach driver was friendly and helpful and kept us up-to-date with plans and timings
15 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re delighted to hear you had an excellent day out in Suffolk and enjoyed exploring this beautiful part of the country.
It’s also great to hear your kind comments about your driver and that you were kept well informed throughout the day.
Thank you for travelling with Kirbys, and we look forward to welcoming you on board again soon!
Coach on time lovely journey driver and…
Coach on time lovely journey driver and assistant very good feted ta coffee and had tin of sweets s was ups have done more trips but need was 1S/1B cos of my knees being bad more leg room but our yep to Yarmouth was a wonderful day off been last 4 years something different next year hopefully ll thank you
12 August 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re delighted to hear you had another wonderful day in Great Yarmouth and enjoyed a comfortable journey, along with the tea, coffee and little sweet treat on board.
Thank you also for your kind comments about our driver and courier. We appreciate your comments regarding seating and the importance of additional legroom too.
It’s fantastic to hear you’ve joined us for this trip for the past four years! Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to have something a little different to tempt you next year.
Ely, a great place to visit.
Very good driver. Very polite , a credit to you.
Loved Ely, but not bothered about the market.
Went specifically to see the Cathedral & went to Oliver Cromwell house. 2 other museums we could have visited but discovered them too late.
Jenny Hall
11 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review, Jenny! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your day in Ely, particularly your visits to the magnificent Cathedral and Oliver Cromwell’s House.
Thank you also for your kind comments about your driver – we’ll be sure to pass these on.
It sounds like you discovered there is even more to see in Ely than you first realised, so perhaps another visit will be needed! We hope to welcome you on board again soon.
The courier George and driver John…
The courier George and driver John provide an effortless guide to the day.
The station at Bodiam is interesting with a small museum for nineteen fifties hopping families. The train is steam and carriages are set for Kirby lunch which was a lovely surprise as to the quantity and quality of the food.
The journey to Tenterden then leaves you free time to explore and have a drink before boarding the train back for scones and tea.
The weather could have been kinder but did not dampen the day.
10 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for such a lovely review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your day and that George and John looked after everyone so well – we’ll be sure to pass your kind comments on to them.
It sounds like the steam train journey, lunch on board and afternoon scones and tea all helped make it a particularly enjoyable experience, with some time to explore Tenterden too.
It’s just a shame the weather wasn’t quite as impressive as the rest of the day! Thank you for travelling with Kirbys, and we look forward to welcoming you on board again soon.
John the driver informed us that we…
John the driver informed us that we were detouring due to car fire on M25 giving approximate eta due to this. Our arrival time was only delayed by 15 minutes, whereas M25 delay times would have been over an hour.He delayed our leaving time to compensate, but everyone came back by original leaving time.
6 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re delighted to hear that John kept everyone well informed and was able to find an alternative route to avoid what could have been a lengthy delay on the M25.
It’s great to hear that you arrived only slightly later than planned and that John offered to extend your time at the destination to make up for the delay.
Thank you for travelling with Kirbys, and we hope to welcome you on board again soon!
Great service
As always, a friendly helpful driver, & a seamless journey both ways.
4 September 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review and for continuing to travel with Kirbys! We’re delighted to hear that you received the friendly, helpful service you’ve come to expect from us and enjoyed a smooth journey both ways.
We really appreciate your continued support and look forward to welcoming you on board again soon!
Kirby Coaches and East London Travel merger
Dave the driver was very good.
The day excursion was great however, since Kirby Coaches merger with East London Travel their pricing needs to become universal, as on this trip there was a significant difference between Kirby Coach bookings and East London Travel bookings with Kirby Coaches charging much more as stated by passengers on board.
18 August 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We’re pleased to hear you enjoyed the day excursion and that Dave looked after you well – we’ll be sure to pass your kind comments on to him.
We would, however, like to clarify the point regarding pricing. Since taking ownership of East London Travel, we have not altered their existing prices. The prices currently offered through East London Travel are aligned with the prices that were already in place prior to our ownership, rather than prices that have been introduced or increased by Kirbys.
We appreciate that differences between bookings made through Kirbys and East London Travel may understandably raise questions, and pricing is something we will continue to review as the two businesses move forward.
Thank you again for travelling with us, and we hope to welcome you on board again soon.
My first trip with Kirbys
This was my first trip with Kirbys and I was very impressed. John, our driver, was excellent in every respect, especially as he had a lot of rain to deal with! He also ‘found’ me when I didn’t realise that his coach was for Kirby passengers. I could tell that he was popular from the number of passengers who obviously knew him and greeted him by name when they got on.
29 August 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for choosing Kirbys for your first trip with us! We’re delighted to hear that you were so impressed and had an enjoyable day, despite all the rain!
It’s especially lovely to hear your kind comments about John. We’ll make sure these are passed on to him – and we’re very pleased he managed to find you too!
We hope this was the first of many trips with Kirbys and look forward to welcoming you on board again soon.
Outstanding day trip with Kirbys
I travelled with Kirby’s to Eastbourne. The coaches are always comfortable, always have an on board toilet. This time there was no charging socket for the phone in my seat area, but sometimes there are.
The driver always keeps us well informed of any stops we are going to make.
We were dropped at the Pier and we had 4 hours to do whatever we wanted.
I decided to get a ticket for the open top sightseeing bus, after having a walk along the pier, and it allowed me to visit so many of the local sights, which I would not have been able to get to, by walking.
As the sights are well spread out, the bus is an ideal way to visit all the main sights, the Grand Hotel, the Italian gardens, Beachy Head, Belle Tout and the Birling Gap, to name just some.
The whole route takes 50 minutes to complete, but you can hop on and off as many times as you wish in 24 hours or just stay on the whole way round!
The bus comes past each stop every 30 minutes or so. The cost is £12 for adults, seniors or students £10 and under 16 £6. There is a family ticket available, for 2 adults and 2 children under 16 at a cost of £29.
You can purchase your ticket on the bus, by cash or contactless.
Should you wish to have some shopping time, the area for that is about a 10 minute inland and there is a good selection of shops and a large shopping centre too, called the Beacon.
I would thoroughly recommend this day trip, and plan to do it again next summer, it was so enjoyable.
27 August 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a fantastic and detailed review! We’re delighted to hear you had such an enjoyable day with us in Eastbourne.
It sounds like you made brilliant use of your free time too – the open-top sightseeing bus sounds like a great way to see more of Eastbourne and the surrounding coastline, especially Beachy Head, Belle Tout and Birling Gap. Thank you for sharing all those helpful tips for other visitors!
We’re also pleased to hear you enjoyed a comfortable journey and felt well informed by your driver throughout the day. We have noted your comment regarding the charging socket, as facilities can vary depending on the coach allocated.
Thank you for recommending the trip, and we’ll look forward to hopefully welcoming you back on board for another visit to Eastbourne!
The coach was very comfortable
The coach was very comfortable. The driver John was very friendly and helpful and a very good driver. He explained all about the safety issues on the coach. The day was very good except for getting wet which was not down to you and I have recommended it to my friends.
29 August 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review and for recommending us to your friends! We’re delighted to hear you had such an enjoyable day and found the coach comfortable.
It’s especially lovely to hear your kind comments about John. We’ll be sure to pass these on to him, and we’re pleased that you found him friendly, helpful and informative throughout the journey.
It’s just a shame we couldn’t arrange better weather for you too! We hope to welcome you on board again soon.
Kirby’s always offer a great service
Kirby’s always offer a great service. Even though the weather was awful we had a good time. The journey both ways was good too.
29 August 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review and for continuing to travel with Kirbys! We’re so pleased to hear you had a good time despite the weather not being on your side, and that you enjoyed a comfortable journey both ways.
We really appreciate your kind comments and look forward to welcoming you on board again soon – hopefully with a little more sunshine next time!
The coach driver was very good lovely…
The coach driver was very good lovely comfortable coach & a brilliant day out
26 August 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re so pleased to hear you had a brilliant day out and enjoyed a comfortable journey with us. It’s also great to hear your kind comments about your driver – we’ll be sure to pass these on.
We look forward to welcoming you on board again soon!
Lovely day nice coach very pleasant…
Lovely day nice coach very pleasant drive and driver
26 August 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re delighted to hear you had such an enjoyable day out and found the coach comfortable and your driver friendly and pleasant.
Thank you for travelling with Kirbys, and we look forward to welcoming you on board again soon!
Excellent coach driver
Excellent coach driver, very friendly & informative. Only glitch was he told us we weren’t allowed to take back packs, food or drink to the venue! We all unpacked our food etc, had to buy expensive food & drink from Highclare, only to witness lots of people eating their picnics brought from home which was very annoying. Otherwise an excellent day out
26 August 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Kirbys Coaches
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review. We’re delighted to hear that you had an excellent day out and found your driver to be friendly and informative.
We’re very sorry for the frustration regarding bringing your own food and drink. Prior to our visit, Highclere had advised us that picnics and food purchased outside of the premises would not be permitted within the grounds, and this was the information our driver correctly passed on to passengers. We therefore completely understand how frustrating it must have been to then see other visitors enjoying their own picnics during your visit, particularly after you had followed the guidance provided.
We can only apologise that the arrangements on the day did not appear to reflect the information we had been given by Highclere.
Thank you for your understanding, and we’re pleased that despite this, you otherwise enjoyed your day out with us. We hope to welcome you on board again soon.
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