A model of a innovative street-straddling bus called Transit Elevated Bus is seen after a test run in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China, August 3, 2016. Chinese engineers have built a full-sized test model of the much-anticipated TEB-1 straddling bus concept. First revealed in 2010, the bus promises to beat traffic by tiptoeing over it – with wheels at the edges of the road, it acts rather like an enormous tunnel, appearing to swallow the traffic that passes underneath. The first test drive took place in the city of Qinhuangdao, in the Hebei province of China. Although limited to just a 300 metre route, the successful test could pave the way for more thorough and challenging trials before an eventual commercial roll out of the vehicle. At 21 metres long and 7.6 metres wide, it straddles two lanes of traffic, and the passenger compartment of the TEB-1 (Transport Elevated Bus) is understandably very roomy, with a capacity of 300 passengers. With the ability to link up to four TEB-1s together, up to 1,200 people could travel together – a feat that would require 15 double decker buses to achieve. Passengers will travel in 18 seats down either side of the passenger compartments, as well as circular seats in the middle able to seat ten passengers each. There’s also a huge amount of standing room for busier times. Engineers told news outlet CCTV: “The TEB-1 has the same functions as the subway, while its cost of construction is less than one fifth of the subway”. The same concerns remain over the viability of the TEB as a real solution – particularly in how it will handle vehicles turning off or onto the roads it’s travelling on. It’s also not known how taller vehicles will pass the TEB – a stuck lorry could cause some lengthy tailbacks. The TEB-1 is the first step towards a full-scale test, but engineers have not confirmed when this might happen. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





In this Tuesday, August 2, 2016 photo released by Xinhua News Agency, people stand on a platform as the Transit Elevated Bus TEB-1 conducting a test run after it unveiled in Qinhuangdao, north China's Hebei Province. The 72-feet long and 25-feet wide Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) powered by electricity can carry more than hundreds passengers, is designed to go over the normal traffic to help ease traffic congestion without having to dig new tunnels or build elevated rail tracks. (Photo by Luo Xiaoguang/Xinhua via AP Photo)





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. The test bus currently consists of one segment, and is capable of carrying 300 people, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





The interior of 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. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





In this Tuesday, August 2, 2016 photo released by Xinhua News Agency, people try the Transit Elevated Bus TEB-1 as they conduct a test run after it was unveiled in Qinhuangdao, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo by Luo Xiaoguang/Xinhua via AP)





The transit elevated bus TEB-1 prepares for a road test in Qinhuangdao, north China's Hebei Province, August 2, 2016. China's home-made transit elevated bus, TEB-1, conducted a road test running Tuesday. The 22-meter-long, 7.8-meter-wide and 4.8-meter-high TEB-1 can carry up to 300 passengers. The passenger compartment of this futuristic public bus rises far above other vehicles on the road, allowing cars to pass underneath. (Photo by Lo Hsziao-Kuang/Xinhua News Agency)