據(jù)中國媒體報道，前段時間被炒得很熱的寬體高架公交項目“立體快巴”近來遭遇重大挫折。該項目號稱可以完美解決中國越來越嚴重的城市交通擁堵問題，但如今，它的全尺寸試驗車被丟棄在了秦始皇的試驗場。而開發(fā)它的公司似乎已經(jīng)人間蒸發(fā)了。有中國媒體派記者前往秦皇島查看，據(jù)門衛(wèi)說，“經(jīng)理早就跑路了，聯(lián)系不上他們。”

這家公司名叫巴鐵科技，今年，它在北京國際科技產(chǎn)業(yè)博覽會上展示了相關(guān)概念，引起了全世界的興趣。這款車被命名為“立體快巴”，用來在交通公路的上方空間運送乘客，以緩解擁堵。

但是，這個創(chuàng)意的可靠性遭到了很多人的質(zhì)疑，它面臨一些根本性的障礙，今年5月問世的試驗車又存在設(shè)計錯誤，其中最明顯的，是它留給下方車輛的空間高度只有目前中國公路上最高的交通工具的一半。

但這個項目的麻煩不只有設(shè)計問題。立體快巴在8月發(fā)布之時，就有中國媒體質(zhì)疑這個項目是騙局，只是為了騙外行的錢。一家中國官方媒體將立體快巴比作之前騙走小投資者76億美元的投資騙局e租寶。據(jù)說，部分投資者在看過媒體的負面報道后，試圖要回他們在立體快巴上的投資。

盡管立體快巴的發(fā)明人宋有洲堅稱，公司仍在正常運營，但據(jù)消息人士說，一位大投資人已經(jīng)拒絕再向公司提供資金。此外，公司的管理團隊也離開了秦皇島。這種看上去充滿未來色彩的交通工具的前景相當(dāng)黯淡。 （財富中文網(wǎng)）

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作者：David Z. Zorris

譯者：Mushroom

A recent report from Chinese news outlet The Paper says that a radical “straddling bus” that promised to solve China’s mounting urban traffic problem has hit a major roadblock. A full-scale test model of the bus has been all but abandoned at its testing site in Qinhuangdao, and the company developing it seems to have evaporated.

Sina also sent a reporter to the test site. According to a translation by Shanghaiist, a guard said that “The managers from the company have long drifted away, and I am unable to contact them.”

That company, Transit Explore Bus, ignited global interest in May, when it showcased the concept at the Beijing International High-Tech Expo. The vehicle, dubbed the Transit Elevated Bus, was intended to carry passengers above road traffic, helping reduce congestion.

But many observers (including Fortune) were skeptical of the basic viability of the idea. The working model built over the summer added design errors to more fundamental hurdles—most notably, the bus offered vehicle clearance about half as high as the tallest vehicles on China’s roads.

But more than design problems led to the project’s troubles. Back in August, when the TEB test model was unveiled, Chinese media began arguing that TEB was a fraudulent scheme, intended only to fleece the na?ve. An editorial at the Huanqiu news service compared TEB to a prior investment scam called Ezubao, which stole $7.6 billion from small investors. At least some investors have reportedly tried to get their money back following the negative media reports.

Though TEB inventor Song Youzhou has insisted the company is still operating normally, sources told The Paper that a major TEB investor has now cut off further funds to the company, and the TEB management team has already left Qinhuangdao. That certainly doesn’t bode well for this particular future of transportation.