Many transportation experts were worried about the viability of the project from its earliest stages, including one of the concept creators, Craig Hodgetts. An architecture professor at the University of California in Los Angeles, Hodgetts told Quartz last August that the TEB appeared be an “immature project” with some “fundamental problems.” He mentioned, for example, the tight space potentially having a psychological effect on drivers who might respond by braking when driving under the bus. — Quartz Media
While no clear reason has been given as to why the trial run of the so-called "car-eating" bus has been shuttered, Chinese officials have confirmed that they are removing the electric tracks on which the TEB was running. The trial run was launched last year in August, around which time hopeful videos, such as the one below, were released to demonstrate the concept:
4 Comments
Have to love the digital video where the buses warp around curves.
Also have to love that China is addressing public transit. The US obviously can't afford it.
This ending is unfortunately all too common in China. For all the flashy concepts and click-bait promotional videos, very few big projects seem to find long term stability there.
Glad to see bold ideas get built, even as prototypes. But it's no surprise this one flopped.
( " It'll be great!... No more traffic jams because these babies just gliiiiide over it all. The drivers below won't be freaked out and stop because of the BIG LOOMING MAW AND MOVING TUNNEL HEADED STRAIGHT TOWARD THEM. " )
Tduds couldn't have said it better. Long term stability is missing in china and the USA for 50 years now. It looked great with the models. I always though is will not come to a real life prototype. There needed to be a small barrier between the bus and cars.
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