High mileage and reliable performance are key factors in the choice of Continental tyres by leading Northampton operator Yorks Coaches, part of the Bowen Travel Group.

Particularly impressive has been the performance of the Continental HDR drive axle tyre. One set is still in service after three years in which it’s covered in excess of 200,000 kilometres.

Fleet Engineer David Hoy, says:  “We choose Continental because they cost less and last longer. Our fleet of 27 coaches covers a variety of makes and sizes, from 18 seat midicoaches to heavy-duty, three-axle executive tourers. They get used on a wide range of work from school contracts, day and short-break excursions, to private hires and long-distance European touring.

“The range of tyres that Continental offer for coaches and buses enables us to select exactly the right tyre to suit each of these different applications. As a result, their tyres give us a long life and wear very evenly. We also find that they contribute to quieter running and provide our passengers with a more comfortable ride. From a safety point of view, they’re also good in all road conditions and particularly in the wet.”

With tyres being such a safety-critical item, Yorks Coaches operates a strict tyre management regime.  It starts by first selecting the correct tyre for the type of running a coach will do. From then on a visual check is carried out each day by the driver, who looks for any obvious signs of damage or under-inflation and reports potential problems.

A more thorough examination is carried out as part of the six-weekly safety inspections on every coach. Pressures are checked and, where required, tyres are moved from front to back or changed from offside to nearside so that the extra wear on nearside tyres that can come from ‘kerbing’ is shared across the outside tyres on the same axle.

Tyres are also turned on the rim and tyre life is extended by re-grooving, which is carried out in-house and which can result in up to 30 per cent more tyre life. Once a tyre has reached the end of its second life following re-grooving, the casing is traded-in for re-treading, although Yorks Coaches only ever uses new tyres.

Based in the village of Cogenhoe, just to the east of Northampton, Yorks Coaches has been in business since 1924. In 1997 it became part of the Midlands-based Bowens Travel Group, which also includes Jeffs Coaches of Brackley, Northants, and Applebys of Louth in Lincolnshire. The combined group fleet is now over 80 vehicles, the majority running on Continentals.