Lane-straddling Bus to Hit China’s roads
BEIJING: A bus that straddles highway lanes to allow cars to pass beneath – a sort of moving tunnel – is set for a test run in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, in August. The bus is said to be the first of its kind. Called a Transit Elevated Bus (TEB), it looks like a giant double-decker but is hollow on the ground floor. Passengers can sit on the top floor while cars move below.
“TEB is a brand new tool for urban transportation that can help ease traffic congestion by creating roadway space,” said Song Youzhou, chief engineer at TEB Technology Development.
About 35% of traffic jams can be avoided with the use of TEBs, the company’s website claimed.
Vehicles with a height of less than 2m will be able to pass under the bus.
“The TEB and vehicles running within it can drive on roads without interfering with each other, which avoids the scrambling for the road between traditional buses and private cars,” Song said.
According to Song, a four-car TEB is 54m long, 4.5m high and 7.8m wide. It can hold 1,200 to 1,400 passengers, many times more than a traditional bus.
“Its carrying capacity is near that of a subway, but the cost of manufacturing and installing a TEB is much lower,” Song said.
Manufacturing of the first TEB is underway and will be finished by July, after which it will be tried in Qinhuangdao.
Zhoukou, Henan province, plans to build a special 120km line that will allow the running of TEBs.
The company has also signed letters of intent with countries including Nigeria, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Indonesia and Argentina.
It is expected that more than 400,000 TEBs will be needed in the next few decades, the company said.