The Straddling Bus
The Transit Elevated Bus (more commonly known as the Straddling Bus) is a new form of transportation currently in the concept process. The idea behind the bus was to reduce traffic by having a new line of transportation that would travel along a route just like a metro train might, but the only difference is that this bus would be elevated above ground. Benefits of this would allow for faster commuting along with a reduced amount of traffic. Some concepts include ideas of evacuation systems, passengers boarding/leaving, and alerts for dangerous conditions and collisions. The idea was presented first in China but the current hold back is the development of routes and cost.
However, during the first week of August this year, a prototype was built and tested in a part of a Chinese city called Qinhuangdao. Because traffic is such an issue in China, the Transit Elevated Bus creators wanted to find a solution. By making a form of public transportation that was long and wide enough to fit many people and could simply "float" over traffic and other build up, this could solve a massive part of China's population and pollution.
To give exact measurements just to paint a clear picture, the creators of this machine said that the bus itself is 72 feet long, 26 feet wide, and is 16 feet high. Because the bus is so long and wide, it will have a capacity of 1,200 people inside it. A massive increase than any ordinary form of public transportation which could also eliminate many gas buses and even steadily move mass numbers of people from one place to the next, eliminating more traffic. The straddling bus does not have any wheels, thus it needs to be set on a track like a train or subway. While it set out on its first test run during August, it was a success and a great way to understand what could use improvement and what functions may or may not have been working like the power, brakes, and different types of assets that may or may not work over time.
So far, the prototype and it's test run had an overall good review, except for a few key points that could potentially create more problems than solving them. For example, because the Straddling Bus goes over and above traffic, how can other drivers merge and see where they'll need to merge or exit. Another very significant and important question was also how large automobiles like buses and trucks would be able to pass under them which, at the moment, is not possible. The company is heading in the right direction, but there needs to more innovation and more research put into making this machine a possibility. At this time, they are developing answers to questions like the ones stated. Some solutions that have been mentioned were building a real time traffic light underneath the bus so cars stuck below it new what was going on when they exited from underneath. Other solutions have included elevators or gaps for cars to pass and merge through if they needed to get by, but these plans are still in the early stages of development.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/world/asia/china-elevated-bus-teb.html?_r=0
