Mobox: Flat rate tyre subscriptions a la Bridgestone

Bridgestone has introduced an all-inclusive monthly subscription service for tyres called Mobox. According to the company, Mobox subscription offers “new tyres, full warranty and other premium vehicle-related services, and all at an affordable price per month”.

Pitched as “just as you would [pay] for a mobile phone”, Mobox users will have a flat monthly fee (starting from just 7 euros/month) for a flexible range of services that can be customised to meet unique needs and budgets.

Basic packages include new premium tyres, fitting and full warranty for tyre related damages, as well as additional vehicle-related services such as tyre checks and rotation, wheel alignment, air condition refill, wipers, and more. The warranty means that if Mobox customers incur a puncture or any other kind of tyre damage, the tyre will be repaired or replaced free of charge. Customers will also have the option to adapt their packages to include extra products and services, such as summer/winter tyre switching, storage services and selected car maintenance.

First piloted in 25 First Stop stores across France in October 2017, Mobox has now been expanded to 30 Speedy shops in France and 20 First Stop stores in Spain since June 2018. The subscription service will begin to roll out to more shops in France and Spain in the coming months, and in other European countries from 2019 onwards.

Paolo Ferrari, CEO and President Bridgestone EMEA, said: “The growing global popularity for the service economy provides us with a great opportunity to diversify what we offer to customers and bring added convenience. MOBOX is a simple and affordable alternative to our more traditional services, and it’s fantastic to have seen it successfully develop from a pilot project.”

People have been buying truck tyres on a similar basis for years, and Zenises has been working on comparable passenger car tyre programmes for the last few years, but Bridgestone is the first world-leading tyre manufacturer to introduce a “tyres as a service” pricing and payment structure.