Bus & Coach Tyres

The bus and coach sector tyre market is growing with Hankook’s latest launches. Hankook has released the SmartCity AU04+, their first tyre specifically designed for electric buses. They have also launched the SmartTouring and SmartTouring DL22 for long-distance coaches. 

Wrightbus has incorporated Wheely-Safe technology into the prototype of its ground-breaking StreetDeck Electroliner. 

New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows the market still continuing to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The second quarter of 2021 has shown some clear improvement, with a 231.1% bounce in registrations. The market, however, is still declining in volume, leading to industry insiders calling for government planning,

Apollo’s first coach tyre has been designed for comfort, durability and all-weather grip. The tread pattern and compound has also been developed to minimise noise.

La Asociación Española de Fabricantes de Automóviles y Camiones (ANFAC), the automotive association for Spain has announced its latest figures for June 2021 with http://bit.ly/32Tlapv and buses showing 18.1% year-on-year growth, whilst the light commercial vehicle market decreased by 4.9% when compared against June 2020’s benchmark.

Continued confidence in the product and a shared focus on sustainable transport has seen Rotala sign a new five-year Effitires contract with the Michelin Services and Solutions team. 

East Midlands public transport operator trentbarton has installed Wheely-Safe technology across its entire bus fleet after in-depth trials proved the unrivalled safety benefits of the system. 

In real-world trials for MAN electric buses in and around Hamburg, the Conti Urban HA3 tyre from Continental has helped shape the data in developing electric local public transportation.

Bridgestone’s quietest bus and coach tyre has now been revealed, following 18 months of internal testing with its biggest fleet customer. The U-AP 002 comes with decreased rolling resistance and extended mileage to reduce fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and total cost of ownership and has been developed to fulfil the ever-increasing requirements of an electric and hybrid bus fleet. 

Bus and coach registrations down -58.5% in the first three months of the year to only 582 vehicles. While all segments see double-digit decline, single-deck bus registrations continue to be worst affected, down -72.6% to just 91 units. The sector needs to see funding implemented to boost orders to address both long-term ridership decline and pandemic-wrought impact on public transport over past year.