Tires for transformation: Continental supports AarBus on its path to sustainable mobility

Hanover, Germany, October 21, 2025. Danish bus company AarBus has been working with Continental for more than ten years. The transport company relies on premium tires for all city bus services in Aarhus and the surrounding area. “We chose Continental tires because of their operational reliability and durability,” reports Hans Jørgen Østergaard, Managing Director at AarBus. This year AarBus, that is owned by regional transport company Midttrafik, also started using Continental's digital tire monitoring system. Reducing its own CO₂ emissions and ecological footprint is an important part of the company's philosophy. That is why every second vehicle in AarBus's modern bus fleet is already electric. “By 2027, 168 of our buses will be clean vehicles,” says Hans Jørgen Østergaard.

The bus company from Denmark's second-largest city is thus fully on track for Europe. This is because the European Commission has set a target that 90 percent of new city buses in Europe should be emission-free by 2030. “Since the first four e-buses went into service in 2019, we have saved around 14,095 tons of CO₂ emissions,” says Hans Jørgen Østergaard. This corresponds to the annual emissions of over 9,000 cars or the CO₂ that over a million trees could absorb in a year. “In 2024 alone, we saved 4,681 tons of CO₂. That's 35 percent less than in 2018, when we were still running entirely on diesel buses.” The right choice of tires is an important factor for companies like AarBus in reducing their emissions. In addition, tires that are optimally adapted to fleet requirements are key to the economical operation of a fleet.

“We have developed tires such as the Conti Urban HA 5 for the special requirements of electric drives,” says Hinnerk Kaiser, Head of Product Development EMEA at Continental. The durable, energy-saving tire with low rolling resistance can be equipped with tire sensors on request. It supports bus companies in their transformation to the emission-free logistics of the future. The introduction of the ContiConnect live digital tire pressure monitoring system will bring further benefits for Aarhus. The buses will then reliably travel through Aarhus with the correct tire pressure, without gradual pressure loss and vehicle breakdowns due to flat tires. “After repeated pressure losses on two of our buses, we decided to install the tire pressure monitoring system. This will make the daily work of our 578 bus drivers easier by further improving the operational reliability of the buses for our approximately 80,000 trips per week.” This has become significantly more important with the switch to electric drive and the associated limited range.

The electrification of urban bus fleets has been growing significantly across Europe for several years. It is the fastest-growing segment within the transport industry. Last year, 19.8 percent of new city buses registered in the EU were electric. Scandinavian countries such as Denmark are clear leaders in this field. The bus company AarBus was also quick to embark on the path to decarbonization. “The switch to electric operation is based on a political decision by the city administration of Aarhus,” explains Hans Jørgen Østergaard. The company's environmental impact and environmental certification are among the most important elements of its corporate philosophy. Continental's tire solutions help ensure that the AarBus bus fleet is environmentally friendly and safe on the road.