For the first time, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has grouped together the bus tire requirements of its subsidiaries DB Regio and DB Arriva Group in various European countries and awarded the contract as part of an EU tender.
Offering a cost-effective, customer-oriented package, Continental was able to win the contract for orders of approximately four million euros. The decision in favor of the Hanover tire manufacturer was also heavily influenced by the central key account team that will support the individual DB Regio bus companies locally in Germany and the DB Arriva Group in Italy, Portugal, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.
Buses operating regional services will be supplied with the Conti CityPlus HA3, 295/80 R 22.5 and the Conti Coach HA3 in sizes 295/80 R 22.5 and 315/80 R 22, which were developed specifically for this type of use. Buses on local city routes will be equipped with a full set of the Conti Urban HA3 with reinforced sidewalls in sizes 275/70 R 22.5.
The DB Regio and DB Arriva Group also make use of retreaded tires, for which they use the casing management from Continental's service portfolio. Once tires have used up their first life, they are returned into the Continental reprocessing system, where, after a thorough inspection for suitability, they are used for retreading.
This helps to increase the operating efficiency of bus companies significantly and, at the same time, makes a contribution toward DB's environmental target for better usage of resources.
The DB Regio bus fleet comprises nearly 5,000 of its own buses in a network of 22 bus companies and more than 70 shares in transport companies and alliances in Germany.
In 2012, it carried around 750 million passengers and covered over 600 million kilometers. DB Arriva is Deutsche Bahn's subsidiary for regional transport outside Germany, offering rail and bus services in 15 European countries. With over 46,000 employees* and a turnover of 3.75 billion euros (2012), it is one of the leading providers of regional transport in Europe. DB Arriva is divided into the three divisions UK Bus, UK Trains, and Mainland Europe.
