China's elevated bus that straddles two lanes of street traffic went on a test drive in Hebei province to check out its brakes, drag, and power consumption, reported the state-run Xinhua news agency. The hulking vehicle took an easy route and the test went well.
The electric Transit Elevated Bus will be operating in Qinhuangdao City to relieve traffic congestion. It's 72 feet long, nearly 26 feet wide and 16 feet high, and can carry up to 300 passengers.
CNN said developers believe such an innovation will prove to be more efficient in speed and overall cost than building a subway system to serve residents. They also believe such buses can help cut down on the country's air pollution because it runs on electricity.
According to Wired magazine, passengers will use an elevated platform along the road to get on and off the bus.
"The TEB has the same functions as the subway, while its cost of construction is less than one fifth of the subway," Bai Zhiming, an engineer on the project, told Chinese news outlet CCTV.
BBC News said the elevated bus can reach speeds of about 37 miles per hour as it runs on rails along existing roads. Up to four of the buses can be linked together, transporting as many as 1,200 passengers at once.
"The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space," Song Youzhou, the project's chief engineer, told Xinhua. About 40 regular buses could be replaced by one elevated bus, according to the firm that created it.
Wired writer Matthew Reynolds said the bus will probably need more tests before it can actually hit the road.
"While they certainly got a move on when it came to getting the bus on – or above – the road, tests still have a long way to go before the TEB is put to real use," Reynold wrote. "The bus didn't navigate any corners on its inaugural test run or deal with any tricky bits of road infrastructure such as crossroads, bridges, or traffic lights."
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