China has been known as one of the oldest civilizations, if not the most ancient one. But this is not the only interesting thing about this powerful country. Just barely a week ago, it came out with its very first commuter bus with a futuristic concept: the Transit Elevated Bus.
This traffic-straddling bus is their answer to ease traffic congestion, a problem experienced by most of the countries in the world. This commuter bus has a height of 2 meters, to allow the vehicles below to pass through.
At first glance, it looks scary but it will not be long until the public gets used to this new kind of transportation. The bus can accommodate 300 passengers with its length of 72 feet and width of 25 feet while its power is supplied by electricity.
What makes the idea cool and practical is that there is no need to build new infrastructure such as roads. Despite the big investment made for the design and manufacture of the ETB, more money will be saved in the long run since traffic will be lessened and there will be no need to build a new subway system that will cost more than the amount of money needed for the elevated bus.
Back in 2010, it was merely an idea and a dream. Six years after, the first trial run was made on a 300-meter long controlled track in Qinhuangdao. According to Song Youzhou, chief engineer for the project, the road space that will be saved is the biggest advantage of the TEB.
The TEB can run at 60 miles per hour and can replace at least 40 conventional buses on the road. This is on top of the fact that at least four of the traffic-straddling buses can be linked together.
The same concept existed in the 1960s of a type of transportation that can reach from Boston to Washington. It was supposed to run at 200 miles per hour and would accommodate buses inside to transport passengers. It was called the Landliner.
