A Chinese invention, the 3D fast bus, has recently passed its security evaluation and was sent to the manufacturing section on Tuesday. The bus is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2011, the Beijing Times reported.

The bus, with one story of passenger space above the ground, straddles the street and allows cars to drive under it. Powered by a combination of municipal electricity and solar power, the bus will travel at an average speed of 60 to 80 kilometers an hour, faster than current buses, which could reduce traffic jams by 25 to 30 percent on main routes.

The passenger carts of the 3D fast bus, which can hold 1,200 passengers per vehicle, are flexible and can be added to create more passenger capacity during rush hour, or just leave one or two carts in operation during off-peak time. The departure intervals can also be adjusted, according to Song Youzhou, the designer of the bus.

The cost of constructing this bus system is 50 million yuan ($7.4 million) per kilometers, which is roughly one-tenth the cost of building a subway of the same length.

The vehicles will be built by the China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation. The bus track in the Mentougou district of Beijing will start construction at the end of this year, according to the authority of science office, Mentougou district.

(english.cri.cn August 25, 2010)