With the recent snow storms Metro Vancouver has experienced in recent weeks, people have asked why Coast Mountain Bus Company buses are not equipped with snow tires.
All-season tires are the norm for buses in major cities across Canada, including Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Regina. On roads that are properly maintained, TransLink's buses operate well and it works with municipal partners to ensure bus routes are cleared first.
Why don’t TransLink buses have snow tires?
TransLink buses use all-season tires recommended by Michelin for the climate in Metro Vancouver. These tires are all season, but they’re also ideal for rain. TransLink doesn't have snow tires for a number of reasons:
- Snow tires are prone to hydroplaning in the rain
- Snow tires are only ideal for powdery snow conditions, not ideal for icy roads
- Very costly as we would need to keep inventory for the entire fleet for just a few days out of the year. Very time consuming to change all the tires, and snow tires need to be replaced more frequently because the rubber is softer
What would it cost to outfit the entire fleet with snow tires?
TransLink has not done a recent analysis of the costs of conversion of the fleet, however it found that replacing the tires on 1,500 buses twice a year would be significant in terms of the cost of tires and also the cost of storage and the labor required to do the switching over.
Why not equip buses in hilly, snow-prone areas with snow tires?
TransLink buses rotate on various routes throughout the region through the way they schedule, and it would be impractical to restrict its buses to certain routes only.
What TransLink does
- In preparation for the winter, CMBC removes all tires with less than 11/32 tread and switches them out for tires with more tread. The tires with less tread are stored and saved for use in the summer.
- CMBC Engineers have identified a Michelin Bus Tire as the best tire for the Metro Vancouver climate as it is rated for both mud and snow. Vancouver snow is typically very wet and will often plug up the tread on winter tires resulting in reduced traction.
