South Central Ambulance Service select Michelin all-season rubber

Emergency services need to be ready to assist at any time, no matter the weather. That’s why the South Central Ambulance Service has transitioned its fleet onto Michelin Agilis CrossClimate tyres.

It’s hard to dispute the vital role which ambulance services play in our communities, responding to our calls when we need them the most. Already a challenging job, the last thing committed ambulance staff need is equipment which doesn’t do its bit to keep everyone safe, especially when external conditions throw a spanner in the works.

Serving the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, and Oxfordshire — and a combined population of over 7 million people — the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) use a 500-strong fleet to help provide its key public resource. 

Consisting largely of ever-reliable Mercedes Sprinters and trusty Fiat Ducatos, this fleet is no stranger to operating in the UK’s changeable weather conditions, and reckons it has found the tyres needed to help it perform — no matter what nature throws its way.

Following a testing session at the MIRA track in Warwickshire, SCAS has locked in an ‘exclusive Michelin policy’ fleet-wide, making a move from Agilis 3 summer tyres to the all-season Michelin Agilis CrossClimates. The reason?

“Safety at all times is of paramount importance to us. Whilst the Agilis 3 has performed very well, Michelin-recommended testing revealed that the handling and performance of the ambulances, particularly in wet and adverse weather conditions, was superior on the Agilis CrossClimate tyre.” — Nick Roberts, SCAS Fleet Operations Manager

Performance without sacrificing safety is of course the name of the game, and Michelin’s all-season rubber seems to have ticked these boxes with its year-round optimal traction. But the benefits don’t stop there. SCAS is also looking forward to unlocking improved fuel efficiency in the long term and expects the CrossClimate’s ‘exceptional longevity’ to reflect positively in its fleet data analysis.

Truly embracing the CrossClimate family to further capitalise on these benefits, SCAS is also cladding its rapid response vehicles in Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres. Primarily comprising of the practical Skoda Superb, this area of the fleet has recently been bolstered with a small number of Tesla Model Ys and Kia EV6s in a step towards an electrified future.

CrossClimates do represent a premium offering, and this inevitably comes a price tag to match. However, SCAS sees this tyre policy as a cost which offers unmatched value:

“We might be paying a little more per tyre with the CrossClimate tyres, but you can’t put a figure on safety and year-round mobility. They’re outstanding tyres. I would struggle to find another family of products that come close.” — Nick Roberts, SCAS Fleet Operations Manager

Safe, reliable, and ready to help SCAS ambulance crews to look after the people who need it the most — will you follow in this fleet’s example and choose Michelin?