The UK’s largest energy supplier will be fitting winter tyres to more than 200 vans for the first time this year to maximise driver safety and to further improve its emergency call-out ability in adverse weather conditions.

Kwik-Fit Fleet took over exclusive responsibility for tyre authorisation and management on the British Gas liveried fleet, which now numbers some 11,000 vans, six years ago. A new contract has been signed until December 31, 2011 with the opportunity to extend for a further 12 months.

British Gas relies on Kwik-Fit Fleet’s mobile tyre repair and placement service to ensure vehicle downtime is kept to a minimum.

British Gas will equip over 120 vans located in the Scottish Highlands with winter tyres all year round, while vehicles in the Peak District will be fitted with winter tyres during the colder months.

Kwik-Fit Fleet recently launched a special winter tyre programme for the first time and simultaneously offered corporate customers a ‘hotel’ facility to store their summer tyres when the weather is at its severest. British Gas will take advantage of the ‘hotel’ facility for the storage of summer tyres currently fitted to its Peak District vehicles.

Jon York, fleet operations manager at British Gas, said: “We are equipping our vans with winter tyres to make driving in cold weather as safe as possible and to ensure we can fulfil our customer promise and provide the best possible service.”

“Kwik-Fit Fleet’s mobile service is very important to British Gas as it helps us to keep vehicle downtime to an absolute minimum. Engineers are able to arrange for work to be undertaken at a location of choice at a mutually convenient time - thus, we can make sure that there’s no interruption of service to our customers,” he added.

Kwik-Fit Fleet sales director Peter Lambert said: “Since we announced our winter tyre programme we have been inundated with calls from public and private sector fleets wanting to equip vehicles with appropriate tyres that are better suited to cold weather, ice and snow conditions.

“This is particularly true for organisations like British Gas that have vehicles in parts of the country which year after year have their journeys hampered by roads being impassable if vehicles are only equipped with standard tyres.”

Mr Lambert added: “The securing of this extended contract with British Gas underlines our commitment to providing a first class level of service and shows our ability to achieve and exceed key performance indicators laid down by a high-profile customer.