Sustainable and Profitable Urban Transport: Implementing a ‘Tire-as-a-Service’ Model with Regrooving and Retreading

Rapid urbanization has intensified pressure on transport infrastructures, with urban bus networks playing a crucial role in promoting sustainable mobility. However, managing operational costs while minimizing environmental impacts remains a major challenge. This study investigates the innovative “Tire-as-a-Service” (TaaS) model applied to bus fleets, incorporating regrooving and retreading techniques to improve tire durability and efficiency. The TaaS model shifts the focus from purchasing tires to a service-based approach, where users pay according to usage (i.e., kilometers driven), promoting proactive maintenance and waste reduction. Solving this problem is based on a discrete-event simulation algorithm to optimize tire inspection schedules and, consequently, minimize total costs while guaranteeing a minimum level of service and reducing environmental impact. A robustness analysis will validate the model developed, thus contributing to a more sustainable urban transport system.