Calgary Transit swaps to all-weather tires for safer winters

The city of Calgary is taking steps to improve bus safety during winter by replacing worn all-season tires on Calgary Transit buses with all-weather tires designed for year-round use in harsh conditions.

Dennis Uvbiama, the manager of transit service vehicles for Calgary Transit, explained that all-season tires are primarily designed for dry pavement, while all-weather tires feature deeper treads that provide better traction on icy and slippery roads. “The all-weather tires have more tread designed to help them move during the winter months, so when you have icy conditions, you have deeper treads that allow the tire to better hold on to the pavement,” he said.

The decision follows the winter of 2024, when dozens of Calgary Transit buses were stranded due to challenging snow and ice conditions on city streets. City officials showcased the new tires to local media during a briefing on preparations for the upcoming winter season.

Prioritizing Longest Buses

Installation of the new tires will be prioritized based on bus length. Longer buses, which face the most difficulty navigating slippery streets, will receive the all-weather tires first. Uvbiama said the city will conduct head-to-head comparisons between the all-season and all-weather tires to gather operator feedback and performance data. “We hope to get feedback and data in the process of doing this and hopefully hear back from our operators as to how this is working out for them,” he said.

All-Weather Tires vs. Seasonal Tire Swaps

Calgary Transit considered using seasonal tire swaps—switching between winter tires in the cold months and all-season tires in the summer. However, Uvbiama said such a plan would be logistically difficult and costly, as it would involve handling up to 5,000 tires twice a year. In contrast, all-weather tires cost the same as all-season tires and are easier to manage, making them a practical solution.

Timeline for Implementation

So far, the city has received about 1,000 all-weather tires, roughly a quarter of the total required. Calgary Transit aims to have all buses outfitted with all-weather tires by 2029. City officials are confident that the switch will result in better winter performance, similar to what many Calgarians already experience with all-weather tires on personal vehicles.

Uvbiama concluded, “Like most Calgarians that use all-weather tires, we expect that we should have better performance over our all-season tires that we use today.”