China’s Solution for Mass and Green Transportation: Build Straddling Buses

There are more than 1.4 billion people in China. The economy is growing, many have become millionaires and even billionaires just in the past 30 years. Along with growth, comes infrastructure and transportation challenges.

In trying to have a green technology that can transport many people in an already existing infrastructure, Chinese developers have come up with a paradoxical, environmentally-sound solution to speed up traffic. How you may ask? Their answer is to build straddling buses.

Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment company is developing a 3D Express Coach that will allow smaller cars to drive underneath it – just like a tunnel.

The new bus dubbed, the “Straddling Bus” is a light-rail train system and will stand about 4.5 metres high with two levels. Passengers will board the upper level while smaller vehicles less than 2 metres can drive right through.

Facts about the Straddling Bus:

• Powered by electricity and solar energy
• Can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h
• Can carry 1200-1400 passengers at a time
• Each bus will cost $500 million yuan (approximately $73 million USD)
• Construction of the first 115 miles of track will begin in Beijing’s Mentougou district at the end of 2010

The future potential of this technology is very promising. I can see many countries ordering these buses from the Chinese firm. Canadian metro cities could definitely benefit from using these buses.

Ethiopia’s population is growing fast and such buses could be very well utilized in Addis Ababa. I hope that these great buses will be available in my life time in Addis.

For more information, check the following links:

http://www.engadget.com

http://www.chinahush.com

Gallery of Images at Yahoo

My next blog entry will be on Thursday August 12, 2010.

Mullkam Samint!