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News > Science and Tech

China Is Changing the Rules of the Travel Game, and Here's How

  • An artist's impression of the straddiling bus

    An artist's impression of the straddiling bus | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Published 26 May 2016
Opinion

Their idea was to go over rather than under heavy traffic

A Chinese company is hoping to combat China’s traffic problem through a “Straddling Bus” that operates on tracks allowing other vehicles to pass under it, with the futuristic design being showcased this month at a technology expo in Beijing.

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The electric powered design allows the bus to reach speeds of up to 37 miles per hour as it glides two meters above street level, allowing it to pass over traffic on a set of rails.

As well as helping ease congestion in some of China’s biggest cities, the bus has been designed to be environmentally friendly with low carbon emissions compared to other vehicles.

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It is reported to be a comparatively cheap option in the world's most populous country. The idea of the designers is that by going over traffic as opposed to under it, money can be saved by not having to dig expensive subway systems. The construction time for the bus is also considered to be less than a subway system. 

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The Beijing based company Transit Explore has been showing off the new design and plans to test the vehicle in Chenqzhou in the coming months.

“The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space,” Song Youzhou, the project’s chief engineer, told Chinese news agency Xinhua.

Song claims the system could transport up to 1,400 commuters, replacing the equivalent of 40 conventional buses.

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