China’s elevated bus is real, travels above car traffic

What was once a crazy bus/train-hybrid idea has turned into reality, as China’s elevated bus has just undergone its first test run in Qinhuangdao. The Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) was first touted in 2010 as a solution to the traffic woes in the country, and was revealed in miniature form during the 19th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May this year.
This time however, the real-life test unit (TEB-1) you see here measures 22 meters in length, 7.8 meters in width and stands at 4.8 meters tall. For testing purposes, the bus is limited to a 300-meter long track, and isn’t subjected to demanding traffic challenges or excessive turns.
The tests will provide engineers and officials some insight into the feasibility of the TEB, and to quash or confirm the safety concerns of the public. For instance, would there be a collision if cars attempted to change lanes, and what happens when a trailer truck comes barrelling through.

For passengers, the traffic-straddling train is capable of carrying up to 300 passengers, and feature 18 seats along the walls, two round ones in the centre, and plenty of space to stand. On the outside, there are traffic lights sit on all four corners of the bus.
Powered by electricity and solar energy, the TEB in future iterations could hits speeds of up to 60 km/h, while carrying up to 1,400 passengers at a time. Aside from “solving” the traffic problem by having it run below the TEB, the transport system is said to cost five times less than a subway, and has a short build time, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency.
Frequent internet users will probably have seen videos of the concept in action previously, and if not, here it is again, courtesy of the Shanghaiist. What do you think of China’s TEB? An interesting solution or the worse idea in the world?