A bus that straddles traffic has made its first journey in the Chinese city of Qinhuangdao (+ slideshow).
The Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) made its first ever test journey earlier this week. It is designed to help combat gridlock on the congested roads in China's major cities by carrying passengers over the tops of cars.

This video, courtesy of Collective Evolution, shows the concept behind the elevated bus

"The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space," the project's chief engineer Song Youzhou told news agency Xinhua.
In the interview, Song also claimed that the TEB was cheaper to produce than underground trains, and could be rolled out more quickly due to the simplicity of the supporting infrastructure.
The TEB's test run took place on a 300-metre-long track laid on both sides of the road. Each electric vehicle is two metres high and 72 feet long, with enough space for up to 300 passengers.

Related story: New York's subway to receive major overhaul with new carriages and revamped stations

Although only one car was used for the test journey, up to four TEB cars can be linked together. Eventually, the vehicle is expected to reach speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour.

Song unveiled an earlier version of the TEB in 2010, when he claimed that it could reduce traffic congestion in cities by as much as 30 per cent.
A mini-model of the vehicle was launched at the 19th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in Ma...