SF 1

“Om nom nom! Delicious little drivers!”

Buses in China have a reputation around the world for crazy things happening. Whether it’s randomly exploding, flooding, or crashing into each other for no reason, most people would probably feel safer inside their own car.

But not any longer. A new bus design shown off at Beijing’s recent High-Tech Expo has found a way to make people terrified of buses even when they’re not riding them: by turning the buses into car-devouring monsters.

▼ “Yum yum! Ketchup and mustard-flavored cars!”

bus monster 03

Jokes aside, the prototype bus doesn’t actually eat the cars; it merely glides over them, since it’s propped up on either side of the road. The bus can reportedly hold up to 1,200 passengers, and is designed to help alleviate traffic.

Think it’s too crazy to work? Well, not China. Large-scale tests for the bus are scheduled to start taking place later this year in northern Heibei Province, so get ready to see the “monster bus” in action.

Watch the video here to see how the “monster bus” could actually work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APybYjcm_j4

Japanese netizens’ opinions so far are split on this potential new highway overlord.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“Nope. I’m scared just looking at it.”
“Points for coolness, not sure about practicality.”
“It looks narrow and might cause accidents in the cars it passes over.”
“Whoever invented this is a sci-fi-loving genius.”
“Wait a minute… what about taller trucks on the road? Can it go over them?”

Chances are the engineers have at least thought far enough ahead to plan for taller vehicles like trucks, so there’s no need to worry. But still, one netizen proposed a slightly different take on the idea and submitted this design instead:

▼ “How about something like this,
where the cars go over the bus instead of under it?”

bus monster 04Kinisoku

Our evaltuation of such a design?
Practicality: 0
Danger Level: Extreme
Coolness: Undeniable

Source: Sputnik Japan via Kinisoku
Images: YouTube/CCTV News