China’s Futuristic Straddling Bus Takes First Test Drive

The straddling bus built by China and first shown in May was finally taken for its first test drive on Tuesday, Aug. 2, in the city of Qinhuangdao in Hebei Province, according to an article published in citylab.com.

According to the article, the straddling bus, formally called TEB-1 (Transit Elevated Bus), runs above street level and could carry as many as 1,400 passengers while cars pass underneath it.

Hailed as the future of China's public transit, the straddling bus will not only help decongest traffic but also reduce annual fuel consumption by 800 tons and cut carbon emissions by 2,500 tons.

The bus was first envisioned in 1969, to ease traffic congestion and reduce air pollution in Chinese cities.

The concept was introduced by Chinese engineer Song Youzhou in 2010 and presented again at Beijing's 19th International High-Tech Expo in May. Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment made the first bid to build the bus but the plan did not materialize, the report said.

When it was presented in May, many doubted if it would be realized. However, Song and Transit Explore Bus, a company based in Beijing, have finally brought the idea into reality.

At the expo in May, Song said that the prototype for the futuristic bus was already underway and finally, in July, the bus was unveiled by the company.

The bus is 72 feet long and nearly 26 feet wide. It can carry up to 300 people. It is about 16 feet tall and has about 7 feet clearance underneath to allow cars to pass through. The interior has 18 seats along the walls, two round ones in the center, and spaces to stand. Signal lights were placed on all the four corners of the bus.

Meanwhile, special tracks were laid out in Qinhuangdao for the series of test drives, which will help engineers study and understand how the bus will actually work and if it serves its purpose. The test drive will also show if the bus is safe even during collisions with cars or truck.