Chinese Tunnel Buses Look To Hit United States

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Some Chinese exports are terrific. Lo mein, for example. Certain kinds of consumer electronics, like the cell phone with a built-in television complete with antenna, that’s also a thrill. But even I’m not too sure about the new development from the Shenzhen Huashi Future Car-Parking Equipment company, the elevated bus. And if they have their way, they’ll be coming soon to the United States.

You first heard about these buses, which are basically just elevated wheeled platforms where people get on on the second level whilst traffic flows unimpeded beneath them, back last August. But there’s a new and somewhat disturbing update about them that bears mentioning.

Song Youzhou, the guy who came up with the elevated bus platform (recently dubbed the Straddling Bus) has announced that a company is being formed to try and get the elevated buses into the United States, namely, the US Elevated High-Speed Bus (Group).

Word is that the US Elevated High-Speed Bus Group is looking for a partner in the RV, motor home, aircraft, train, or bus manufacture industries looking to diversify into a product that they describe as “revolutionary”. Interestingly, company reps claim that the Straddling Bus costs vastly less than, say, any kind of rail transit and that the construction can be completed in a third of the time that a subway would take. Plus, they plan to operate via electricity, including some roof-mounted solar panels, as well as carry “hundreds” of passengers at speeds ranging from 25 to 50 miles per hour.

Considering that a subway construction requires tunneling, somehow I’m not surprised on the time aspect. But I’m not exactly sold on this being a good idea for the United States, and it’s largely due to our weather. I don’t like the thought of being on board a Straddling Bus in, say, winter–being eight feet above an icy road covered in snow is only good if the snowdrifts are, say, six feet high and that hasn’t happened lately. Plus, yesterday, a lot of us got socked with some nasty winds–some places got up to 70 mile an hour wind. Can you imagine what would happen to that Straddling Bus in that kind of wind? Sure, the broad wheel base would help, but I could see a good jet of wind getting under that and…wow.

So an interesting thought, but maybe not the right idea for us.