CEAT launches 'Bus Special' tyres

CEAT Kelani Holdings launched a bus tyre designed and manufactured to reduce public transport costs.

CEAT Bus Special, the new 9.00-20 size tyre with a ply rating of 16 has an increased tread depth of 16 mm that delivers higher mileage, and will be the only bus tyre retailing at a cost effective price in Sri Lanka, a company spokesman said.

Weighing 41.2 kgs, the new tyre is targeted at the 18,600 private buses operating in Sri Lanka under the regulatory purview of the National Transport Commission (NTC) and represents an important addition to CEAT's bus tyre portfolio, which also includes the popular 'Turbo Rib' and 'XL Super' tyres.

CEAT Kelani Holdings is the principal supplier of tyres to the Sri Lanka Transport Board.

"The magic combination of lower price and higher mileage is what any public transport operator would look for," CEAT Kelani, Managing Director N. C. Venugopal said.

"This is a challenge that we are constantly engaged with in the commercial tyre segment in particular, where the price to performance equation is critical. The 'Bus Special' produced at our Kelaniya plant is the result of this effort," he said.

Purchasers of the tyre will be entitled to a discount voucher.

The first 10 CEAT Bus Special token discount vouchers were presented to private bus owners by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a symbolic acknowledgement of this initiative by CEAT Kelani Holdings.