China's Transit Explore Bus and Its Revolutionary Potential

The global community and environmentalists usually view China skeptically since it plays one of the most important roles in determining the future of global warming.

This is due to a combination of its immense size and population and the fact that the wealth of its citizens is increasing. However, while China's efforts to curb emissions are under a microscope, they are responsible for one of the most recent innovative and potentially revolutionary public transport creations, the Transit Explore Bus. Read on to find out more:

What Exactly is It?

The Transit Explore Bus is straight out of science fiction. Designed by a Beijing-based company (with the same name as the bus), it aims to fix China's traffic problems, save people money, and reduce carbon emissions.

The dimensions of the Transit Explore Bus will be 72 feet long and 25 feet wide, though they might expand these dimensions (precisely the length) in the future. It'll also be able to hold a maximum of 300 passengers at a time, featuring 18 seats on each aisle row.

What makes it unique, however, is that it can travel the road on two lanes on a special track at up to 40 miles per hour. Cars that are below 7 feet in height will be able to travel directly below the Transit Explore Bus. This means that it can be placed on regular roads, where a particular bus lane does not have to be designed, and traffic congestion can, in theory, be significantly reduced since the Transit Explore Bus can simply travel over vehicles.

The Supposed Benefits.

If the Transit Explore Bus ever becomes road-ready, it will have truly significant benefits. Here are just some of them.

• It'll take the place of around 40 public transportation buses.
• Yearly fuel consumption can be cut by approximately 800 tons.
• Yearly carbon emissions can be cut by approximately 2,500 tons.
• It runs on electricity and is much cleaner than the existing public transport system.
• It's a more viable solution to China's traffic problem because it avoids creating an underground subway system.
• Traffic congestion and the reliability of many Chinese cars can be significantly reduced.

Criticisms.

Despite its revolutionary promise, the Transit Explore Bus has some criticisms. First, the fact that it can only travel above cars that have a maximum height of 7 feet presents some logistical issues. For example, what if it encounters a bus? Even if buses or certain vehicles exceeding that height are required to travel on other separate lanes, what will happen if they accidentally make a mistake and travel in the wrong lane?

The second criticism is that, despite claims by its designer, Song Youzhou, that it would be a viable option on regular roads, many believe that this is years and years away. In August, a workable model was finally tested in the Chinese city of Qinhuangdao. Special tracks were placed on a closed road, and people boarded it through a platform. Under these conditions, it worked perfectly, but it hasn't been tested yet on a real road, presenting new challenges and dangers.

Nonetheless, regardless of any criticisms people might have against it, the Transit Explore Bus is a forward-thinking innovation that can change the future of transportation!