The world’s first elevated bus has taken its first test drive in china’s qinhuangdao, hebei province this week. the giant vehicle spans 22 meters long, nearly 8 meters wide, and reaches almost 5 meters above the tops of cars, soaring over traffic, decreasing gridlock, and speeding up ordinary vehicular travel. accommodating more than 300 passengers, the bus straddles the road, allowing personal vehicles to pass safely underneath.

Developed by TEB technology, the massive bus occupies two lanes and comprises two layers: the upper is used for carrying passengers, and the lower is hollow. vehicles under 2 meters in height can pass underneath, whether ‘TEB-1′ is moving or stopped — with speeds up to 60 km/h. powered by municipal electricity and a solar energy system, TEB can be suitable for both large and medium-sized cities. china’s xinhua news agency reports that the governments of brazil, france, india and indonesia have already expressed interest in TEB.

The fully electric TEB is actually more like a streetcar: it rolls along on rails that border the two lanes of traffic that it straddles.

When the TEB stops, ramps deploy so that riders can get on and off. Other vehicles on the road can simply drive right underneath it like they’re passing through a tunnel. The underside of the TEB is even illuminated just like a tunnel is:

According to its makers, a TEB can replace as many as 40 regular buses and the cost to build a TEB system is less than 1/6th the cost of a subway. It’s also estimated that a single TEB could save around 2500 tons of carbon emissions every year.