- Abellio Bus elects to continue its partnership with Michelin Services and Solutions to manage its fleet tyres
- Abellio and Michelin estimate that cumulative emissions savings top 900,000kg of CO2
- Michelin will supply, fit and manage the tyres across the company’s 800-strong bus fleet, safely extending the life of its tyres
- Abellio will also use Michelin’s newly-launched electric vehicle tyre, the X InCity EV Z, for its 120 electric buses (due early 2022)
Abellio Bus has signed a new five-year Effitires contract with the Michelin Services and Solutions team thanks to the significant environmental benefits that a carefully managed Michelin tyre policy can bring.
The new contract – which sees Michelin supply, fit and manage the tyres across the company’s 800-strong bus fleet – was secured on the back of a detailed calculation that showed the contract would continue to help reduce the passenger transport operator’s CO2 emissions by more than 900,000kg, and raw material usage by 100,000kg, every year.
Jon Eardley, Engineering Director at Abellio Bus, says: “Michelin provides us with the full package – an excellent product, superb aftersales support and the best technical advice. But what sealed the deal for us this time was Michelin’s commitment to sustainable transport.
“We were invited to a customer centricity event at the factory in Stoke that reinforced the message of Michelin’s 4R strategy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Renew. When we compared the raw materials, oil, CO2 and waste savings Michelin could offer, compared to a tyre policy that doesn’t include the use of Michelin Remix retreads and regrooving, the figures were staggering.”
All tyres fitted to Abellio Bus vehicles will be carefully managed through a multi-life policy with Michelin’s skilled technicians regrooving worn tyres on site once the tread depth reaches 3-4mm, thereby 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 – a process which saves natural resources, doubles the Michelin casing lifespan and supports UK manufacturing.
Michelin will predominantly fit urban bus tyres across the Abellio Bus fleet, including the new X InCity EV Z – Michelin’s first range of tyres specifically designed for electric vehicles (EVs).
“Our target is to have around 120 electric buses in service by early 2022, so the X InCity EV Z will be a key part of this new contract,” adds Eardley. “We already have 34 electric vehicles in the fleet at this moment in time, operating over one million miles per annum on Michelin tyres, with another 91 in production which will all arrive straight from the factory shod on Michelin rubber.”
Andrew French, Director of Services & Solutions at Michelin, says: “We have established a great relationship with Abellio since we won back the contract in 2017, and we are delighted they have chosen to continue our partnership for a further five years.
“The sustainability benefits of our carefully managed contracts are becoming more and more crucial to operators – helping to meet stringent government emissions targets and their own environmental strategies, as we all work together towards a greener and cleaner future for the transport industry.”
About Abellio Bus:
Part of the Abellio Group, Abellio Bus runs services across the capital on behalf of Transport for London. In a normal year, the business carries around 150 million passengers annually, operating 800 buses and employing 2,500 staff from six depots in central, south, and west London.
About Michelin:
Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tyres, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 170 countries, has 123,600 employees and operates 71 tyre production facilities which together produced around 170 million tyres in 2020. www.michelin.com
More information on how Michelin assists transport businesses achieve its sustainability goals and run more efficiently can be found at business.michelin.co.uk.
CONTACT:
Lois Spall or Dan Jones, Garnett Keeler PR
lois.spall@garnettkeeler.com / dan.jones@garnettkeeler.com
+44 (0)20 8647 4467
