Tom Ranson, chief engineer at Reading Buses, said: “When the time was coming for renewal we went out to tender in the usual fashion, but it quickly became apparent that sticking with Michelin would be the best option.
Michelin will fit both new and Remix urban bus tyres, predominantly from the Michelin X InCity range, on Reading Buses vehicles. The X InCity features reinforced sidewalls to protect against kerbing and accidental damage, which helps reduce wheel interventions and downtime.
Tyres from the Michelin X Multi range, which offer damage resistance in an urban environment, will also be utilised across the smaller single-deck buses, plus a variety of coaches.
As part of the contract, Reading Buses has opted for the Full Fit option, which sees Michelin’s technicians mount, demount and inspect all built-up wheel assemblies.
Michelin will manage the tyres through a multi-life policy – regrooving worn tyres on site once the tread depth reaches 3-4mm, helping to extend each tyre’s life in its most fuel-efficient state. Once the regrooved tyres have worn, they will be retreaded at the Michelin Remix plant in Stoke.
Reading Buses has recently added new coaches into its Newbury & District fleet to cover a new service from Basingstoke to Heathrow Airport. Meanwhile, additional buses have also been acquired to help enhance some of its existing routes including the Windsor Express service to London Victoria. All the vehicles have been specified on Michelin tyres.
The operator is also planning to add its first tranche of electric buses in April of next year, which will arrive on Michelin X InCity EV Z – the manufacturer’s range of bus tyres designed for electric vehicles (EV). Michelin is already fitting the newly-launched X InCity EV Z Remix – which is said to be equally effective on diesel vehicles, and has similar levels of rolling resistance, mileage and damage resistance as the new tyre – to the rear axles of some of Reading Buses’s existing fleet.
