They actually built one! Elevated bus rides above traffic

Cape Town - The future of public transport became a reality as China begins testing its “straddling bus” in Hebei province in August 2016.

The BBC reports that the Transit Elevated Bus’s (TEB) trial run was conducted on a 300m-long tracked, in controlled conditions, in Qinhuangdao.

One bus, 300 passengers

The TEB is battery powered and due to its large dimensions (21m long x 7m wide), can transport up to 300 passengers. It features a 2m-tall opening below its body allowing vehicles to pass beneath.

Up to four TEBs can be linked together, travelling at a speed of up to 60km/h. The vehicle runs on rails that are laid on regular roads; which makes it ideal as other vehicles can share the same road network.

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The project's chief engineer, Song Youzhou, told state-media agency Xinhua earlier in 2016; “The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space."

Another engineer, Bai Zhiming, said: "The TEB has the same functions as the subway, while its cost of construction is less than one fifth of the subway."

FUTURE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT: The TEB is capable of transporting hundreds passengers and is designed to ride above normal traffic to help ease traffic congestion without having to dig new tunnels or build elevated rail tracks. Image: AP / Luo Xiaoguang / Xinhua