China's straddling bus goes into production

The bus prototype at the China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May (Reuters)
The bus prototype at the China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May (Reuters)

China is throwing car drivers under the bus.

This week the first of its futuristic Transit Elevated Buses (TEB) goes into production, with test drives scheduled for August.

First revealed in May at the China Beijing International High-Tech Expo, the TEB straddles the road, allowing smaller vehicles to drive underneath it while it stops for passengers.

China's straddling bus goes into production

(Reuters)

The all-electric prototype will consist of a single car 22m long, 7.8m wide and 4.8m high. If it works, the real-life bus will be something like a train, with four connected cars.

Despite its massive size, chief engineer Song Youzhou says it'll be partly made of glass to make it feel more open, and it will be able to carry 1200 people at 60km/h.

He says implementing a Beijing-wide system of elevated buses will cost five times less than building an equivalent subway.

Newshub.