The China-based design firm Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment recently announced its futuristic concept for public transportation. According to the London Daily Mail, the company is at work on its 3D Express Coach, which it says is basically a portable travel pod in the form of an immense hybrid trolley. This 3-dimensional fast bus the company nicknamed the “Straddling Bus” allows cars on the same roadway to pass beneath.
The model looks like a subway or light-rail train bestriding the road. It is 4-4.5 meters high with two levels. Passengers board on the upper level while other vehicles lower than 2 meters can pass through underneath.
Powered by electricity and solar energy, the bus can speed up to 60 km/h carrying 1,200-1,400 passengers at a time without blocking other vehicles right of way. It will also have an inflatable escape ladder in case of emergencies.
Shenzhen Huashi says it costs about 500 million Yuan – the equivalent of nearly $74 million dollars – to build the bus and a 40-km-long path for it, only 10 percent of building equivalent subway. It is said the bus could reduce traffic jams by 20 to 30 percent.
A pilot scheme for the bus will take place in Beijing’s Mentougou District, with construction on the first 186km of track due to begin at the end of this year. For more, visit www.dailymail.co.uk.