Traffic congestion is a problem that many cities across the globe continue to struggle with. And while some cities have come up with their own ways to deal with congestion, whether it be a push for public transportation or constructing new roads, a new initiative out of China is without a doubt the most original idea we’ve seen yet.
Meet TEB, otherwise known as a Transit Elevated Bus. TEB is essentially a bus that can drive over traffic, as evidenced by the photo above, although it’s just a concept for now. The idea for a TEB like vehicle isn’t new, but a working mini-model of the incredibly intriguing idea was recently presented at a tech expo in Beijing.
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In an ideal world, an engineer familiar with the project said that an elevated bus like TEB would be able to carry as many as 1,200 people per trip. Even more tantalizing is the claim that such a project could be completed within a 12-month time frame.
A video of the mini-model can be seen below.
Interestingly enough, the idea for this type of bus design stretches back for quite some time. The following report from ChinaHush, for instance, first appeared nearly six years ago.
Proposed by Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment Co., Ltd, the model looks like a subway or light-rail train bestriding the road. It is 4-4.5 m high with two levels: passengers board on the upper level while other vehicles lower than 2 m can go through under. Powered by electricity and solar energy, the bus can speed up to 60 km/h carrying 1200-1400 passengers at a time without blocking other vehicles’ way. Also it costs about 500 million yuan to build the bus and a 40-km-long path for it, only 10% of building equivalent subway. It is said that the bus can reduce traffic jams by 20-30%.
Another video detailing the futuristic idea can be seen below.
