During the trial, two ADL Enviro200 single-decker buses were fitted with Continental tyres, and two with tyres from its existing provider.
“We had a great opportunity for a really fair comparison, running identical buses on identical routes with virtually identical annual mileages,” says JMB’s director Martin Bell.
“And to make sure we gave both brands a fair outing, we ran them for a whole year – so around 90,000 miles on each of them.
The results, says Bell, were “unquestionable”, adding: “The Continental tyres had produced significant mileage improvements, some 30,000 more miles without a change, than the other brand on test over that period, as well as delivering excellent performance in terms of day-to-day damage resistance.
“Add the fact that we no longer need to worry about different steer and drive axle tyres, the Conti Urban HA3 does both jobs really well, and you can see why our decision has been an easy one.”
The tyres used in the trials, and now for all 40 of the service bus fleet, are the Conti Urban HA3 M+S P245/70 19.5 tyres. Designed for urban bus work, they promise advantages in the demanding stop-start, short distance environment. The latest version is said to deliver up to 20% more mileage and 2% improved fuel consumption compared to its forerunner, the HSU 1.
JMB Travel is now putting the Urban HA3 295/80 22.5 tyres on to its coach fleet for UK touring work.
“We have no doubts whatsoever about the conversion to Continental products,” confirms Bell, “and as old tyres are run-off the coach fleet, we now happily fit the appropriate HA3s on them. We also run a number of double-deckers on schools’ contracts, and again, as the old tyres come off, we are looking to replace with Continental.
“From every angle – safety, performance, economy – we are sure we have made the right choice.”