With 200 buses and 500 employees, Tüke Busz Zrt. makes sure that the urban transportation in the city of Pécs is on time – and safe. Director of Operations Tavi Tamás tells us that their buses are driving 8.5 million kilometres per year, meaning the need for reliability and safety for their tires is immense.

What is your business about? What are your core competencies, where do you specialize in?

The sole objective of the company is to ensure smooth public transportation services in the city of Pécs, based on the schedule determined by the city. Out of all the cities with county right, we have the second largest fleet – after Budapest. Pécs is the only large city where public transportation is solely managed with buses.

How would you describe the key to success in your business?

There are about 145 thousand inhabitants at Pécs, and every third of them (about 35 percent) uses public transportation. This is an outstanding proportion within the country. We aspire to provide high quality services for residents of the city, therefore we invest continuously in development. Now the average age of our fleet is less than ten years, which is again a great number considering the average level in Hungary.

Why were you interested in a tire pressure monitoring solution? Which benefits did you see? Did you have any doubts in the beginning?

In my previous workplace, I was regional leader at a large Hungarian tire distribution company, and I encountered the tire-related problems of fleets on a daily basis. Even then, and also now I see that the constant checking of tire pressure and keeping them on a proper level represents a significant problem. Tire pressure has an impact on many aspects: for example the mileage, service life, fuel consumption of the vehicle, and therefore a great impact on the costs of operation. Naturally, we had doubts in the beginning, so we tested two other systems besides Continental. We tested them at the same time with different tires, and after one and a half year ContiPressureCheck™ has proven to be the most user-friendly system.

Now that you are using it, what do you like about ContiPressureCheck™? What are the main benefits for you?

The mileage of our tires has increased significantly, and there are quite positive tendencies regarding the fuel consumption as well. There was no need for rescue in case of buses equipped with this system, since drivers notice in time that there is something wrong with the tire, or it has lost its pressure. We solve two problems with this solution: we save the cost of rescue, and tire exchange as well.

How did ContiPressureCheck™ help you to improve your business?

An incentive scheme was implemented in our company, where drivers who are able to reduce fuel consumption are rewarded. The system of Continental offers a great support since a significant amount of fuel can be saved if the vehicle runs on optimal tire pressure. The maintenance of the fleet is also easier, since our employees who use the system can take better care of the vehicles they manage. Our tires have more mileage, which means that the cost per lifetime is decreased. Overall, we are able to save great amounts with the use of ContiPressureCheck™.

What is the feedback from your colleagues/employees (e.g. Fleet Manager, Workshop Manager, Driver) working with ContiPressureCheck™, (for example regarding the mounting process, driving, maintenance)?
We were able to install the equipment after a relatively simple mounting process; it caused no problem at all. ContiPressureCheck™ communicates easily with our existing on-board computers. With the help of Continental, we were able to establish a system, where we can monitor the state of the tires on our buses remotely as well. This system is really easy to use, but at the same time it provides us a great amount of data, which required no maintenance whatsoever in the past one and a half years.

Would you recommend ContiPressureCheck™? Why, why not?

I would definitely recommend the use of ContiPressureCheck™ to others as well, since the cost of the systems returns quickly.

How would you rate the interaction with Continental employees?
Continental performed and still performs a remarkable after sales activity up until today. There is a constant communication between us, they ask for our opinion on what to improve and how. This type of communication contributed significantly to the fact that we have serious intentions regarding the future use of the system.

How is Continental in general adding value to your business or contributing to your success - for example with tires, retread, services?
We wish to transport our passengers safely to their destinations, therefore we use premium tires. The majority of our buses run on Continental tires. It is important for our owner and the management of the company as well to see: we use these tires economically, both in terms of fuel consumption and mileage.