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.
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.
