The Street Straddling Bus | Design of the Future

Designs for the future need to do a few things: improve upon what’s already invented, look aesthetically appealing and be something that could sustain for many years. China’s Street Straddling Bus does just that. All you need to do is watch this video and you’ll be sold on the idea, but here are the takeaways:

What is it? The Street Straddling Bus actually does straddle two lanes of street traffic allowing cars to drive under it. It can hold up to 1,400 passengers, who exit from the roof and travel up to 40 miles per hour.

Why is it so great? There are a lot of benefits to this bus. The two biggest ones for our growing population is that it reduces CO2 emissions and fuel use. This is a major factor towards improving air quality around the world and in populous countries like China. It also reduces traffic jams by eliminating buses from the highways and giving more people a public transportation option. It runs of electricity and solar energy making it a sustainable option for future transportation.

Any downsides? They say it will cost 60% less than building a subway but that must vary by city and available space. The other factor would be how will it impact drivers under the bus and how they maneuver around the bus and the bus’s tracks. If someone is in the middle of a lane change and the bus is approaching, the bus would need to stop until the car completes their lane change. These problems will iron themselves out if the bus becomes popular around the world.

What are your thoughts? Do you think this is something that would improve your city’s traffic? What possible problems do you foresee with the Street Straddling Bus?