McGill’s Buses renews tyre supply contract with Michelin

McGill’s Buses has extended its 19-year relationship with Michelin, signing a new Effitires contract with the Michelin Services and Solutions team to cover its entire fleet of single and double deck buses.

At the end of last year McGill’s acquired Xplore Dundee from National Express, making it the UK’s largest independent bus operator – running 650 vehicles from depots across Scotland and employing 1,200 members of staff.

Michelin has been supplying and managing the business’s tyres since 2002.

Russell Henderson, Engineering Director at McGill’s Buses, says: “We have worked with Michelin for many years on our tyre solution, and are very happy to be able to continue that partnership as our fleet expands.

“It’s always been a great working relationship with our counterparts at Michelin; the communication between the two companies is seamless and that’s the key for the success. The new contract offers us the best value and quality product for our team.”

A major part in securing the Effitires deal was the two companies’ shared commitment to sustainable mobility.

All tyres fitted to McGill’s 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, 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.

Working in line with the Michelin 4R strategy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Renew, all worn casings follow the company’s stringent environmental disposal programme.

“Our two businesses have a strong focus on sustainability and that was a major aspect in agreeing the contract extension,” adds Henderson. “With Michelin’s innovative tyre management policy, we can secure additional mileage from our tyres and in turn reduce our environmental footprint.”

Michelin will fit predominantly urban bus tyres across the fleet, with all Michelin X InCity HL Z fitments featuring reinforced sidewalls to protect against kerbing and accidental damage, which helps reduce wheel interventions and downtime. The latest generation Michelin X Multi Z & D tyres will be fitted on some of the smaller single deck buses.