REUTERS/Stringer
A model of an innovative street-straddling bus called Transit Elevated Bus is seen after a test run in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China, August 3, 2016.
China has a lot of people. In many cities, the streets aren't big enough to handle the congestion, and it's difficult and expensive to make the streets even wider. As an alternative, the Chinese company Transit Explore Bus built a "straddle bus," which rides above traffic rather than in it.
The Transit Elevated Bus is like a tunnel with wheels and a big room on the second floor. They've just started testing in Qinhuangdao, in China's Hebei Province. Eventually, the company hopes to be able to travel safely at 40 miles per hour and hold 1,200 people.
REUTERS/Stringe The interior of the bus.
Right now, cars under 6.5 feet would be able to safely ride under the Transit Elevated Bus. It's also totally electric, depending on chargers places along each bus's route, and cheaper to build than an elevated train.
For its test this week, the bus was limited to a 300-meter track, with simple traffic challenges and turns. But it's come a long way from the first look we got at the concept in May.
REUTERS/Stringer The test bus currently consists of one segment, and is capable of carrying 300 people, according to local media.