Our GPN Strategic Partner, Bridgestone, takes centre Stage with prestigious coach partnership

Bridgestone UK has secured the company’s biggest ever commercial fleet partnership across Europe, after putting pen to paper on a five-year agreement with Stagecoach.

The prestigious bus and coach operator, which serves more than 100 communities in the UK and up to three-million-passengers each day, has opted into a contract with the world’s largest tyre and rubber company , encompassing 9,500 vehicles in total.

Stagecoach was attracted to Bridgestone’s ‘best in class’ UAP-001 premium product and holistic Total Tyre Care package of tyre husbandry support. In negotiating the contract, Bridgestone had to demonstrate flexibility to meet the specific needs of the Stagecoach fleet, which will run almost entirely on the UAP-001, which offers a number of significant benefits.

Firstly, the UAP-001 provides a high level of safety all-year round thanks to its improved grip and braking performance in all conditions, including winter and mud and fresh or melting snow, which have granted the M+S marking and Alpine symbol.

Sam Greer, Engineering Director for Stagecoach UK Bus, said: “We are very pleased to award this contract to Bridgestone and look forward to working with them over the next five years. We are confident that the solutions and products they offer will help us maintain our fleet to the highest standard and continue to deliver high-quality, reliable journeys for the millions of people who use our services every day.”

The announcement represents a huge success for Bridgestone, who secured the Stagecoach contract from a previous long-term supplier of more than two decades and confirms Bridgestone’s status as the largest tyre provider in the UK bus and coach sector.

Greg Ward, Commercial Sales Director for Bridgestone, said: “This is a huge announcement and the beginning of an exciting new relationship with one of the UK’s most prestigious bus and coach operators. In terms of our European-based fleet contracts, this is our biggest ever. Stagecoach is continually working to increase the quality, reliability and frequency of its bus services and we are extremely proud to be in a position to play our part in this. It is a great responsibility and one we will not take for granted. We will be working with Stagecoach to ensure that every one of their millions of journeys per year is completed as smoothly as possible.”

In negotiating the contract, Bridgestone had to demonstrate flexibility to meet specific needs of the fleet, which will predominantly run on UAP-001 tyres, with a Total Tyre Care package of support playing a critical role.

Strategies include a major focus on tyre husbandry, an increased emphasis on setting correct tyre pressures and a detailed review of removed tyres, to avoid premature removal and to ensure that all parties are properly managing the use of tyres throughout their life.

In addition to this, Bridgestone’s Bandag retread products also allow Bridgestone to combine its new premium tyres, manufactured with fully-retreadable casings, followed by quality retreads to help Stagecoach reduce their operating costs through a lower cost per km over the life of each tyre.

For more information about Bridgestone’s bus and coach tyre offering, visit www.bridgestone.co.uk