China's futuristic Transit Elevated Buses (TEB) will go into production in Changzhou, in east China's Jiangsu province this week. The first test drives will be undertaken in August.
The straddle buses, also referred to as tunnel buses, are designed to ease traffic congestion in cities. These futuristic buses will straddle the road, enabling other smaller vehicles to drive underneath them, while they stop for passengers, News Hub reported.
Introduced at the China Beijing International High Tech Expo in May, prototypes of these all-electric buses will have four passenger sections, each measuring 22 meters long, 7.8 meters wide and 4.8 meters high, with 55 seats. The hollow space under the bus will allow other vehicles to pass underneath, thereby greatly improving the use of roads with limited space and easing traffic congestion.
The first bus is being manufactured by Jinchuang Corp, located in Changzhou, Jiangsu. The chief engineer of the project, Song Youzhou, told reporters that despite the massive size of these buses they will be partly made of glass to give a more open feel. Each bus will be able to carry 1200 people at 60km/h, Huanqiu China reported.
According to Youzhou, implementing a Beijing-wide system of such elevated buses will cost five times less compared to constructing an equivalent subway. The prototype of the TEB suggests that the three-dimensional fast bus will be moving on fixed rails installed on the road. As far as the design is concerned, the new futurist bus will be something between a tram and a bus,
The design of the bus will enable engineers to improve utilization of road space. Moreover, compared to the conventional buses, the Transit Elevated Buses can be more effective in relieving traffic congestion, besides saving costs.
As per plans, the Transit Elevated Bus will have a trial run in Qinhuangdao in August. Aside from saving costs, the new bus will be environment-friendly, as it will be driven by electric power. The electric power to run the buses will be generated by solar panels placed on top of the passenger cars.
Watch China unveils 'straddling' bus to beat traffic jams below: