Trentbarton has agreed a new five-year Effitires contract with Michelin. It will see the supplier’s Connected Solutions division provide and manage the tyres on more than 400 buses in the East Midlands fleet and the associated Kinchbus, Notts and Derby and TM Travel operations.
Michelin will deliver tyres direct and in-house teams at depots will handle fitting and replacement work. Michelin will carry out fleet-wide inspections as part of the Effitires agreement, ensuring that the customer gets the most from each tyre while maximising uptime and compliance.
Tyres will be managed through a multi-life policy, with Michelin technicians regrooving them once tread depth reaches 3-4mm. When a regrooved tyre has worn, it will be retreaded at the Michelin plant in Stoke-on-Trent, doubling lifespan and supporting UK manufacturing,
Buses will predominantly run on products from the Michelin X InCity range. The operator plans to move a portion of its fleet to the new 265/70 R19.5 X InCity EV Z product, which is designed for electric buses.
The tyres also offer what Michelin says is “outstanding performance for traditional diesel vehicles, with an improved sidewall for urban usage and a wet grip design.”
Trentbarton Engineering Director Matt Evans observes that Michelin tyres “always stand the test of time, and the level of service we get from the team is very good.” He adds that Michelin products also tend to display even wear.
“We have been working with Michelin for a number of years now, and I have been a big advocate of the product for a long time. It is widely regarded as the best tyre on the market,” continues Mr Evans.
“The sidewall protection is second to none, which helps to keep disruption to our services and unnecessary costs to an absolute minimum. That is really the most important thing from an operator point of view.”
