The Car-Straddling Bus from China

An elevated bus story from China in 2016 briefly captured the attention of the internet. By allowing vehicles to pass directly underneath it, the bus was made to reduce traffic congestion. The bus was raised on slender side supports, but the middle was open and large enough for passing cars to do their daily driving. No more waiting for passengers to board and off the bus, right? Actually, not quite.

There was a difficulty with the bus, however it did exist. It was shown rolling up and down a section of road repeatedly, but it didn't accomplish anything else. And as the days went by, the bus remained stationary. It was left in the middle of the street. However, it was still passable, so it wasn't all that horrible.

The entire initiative turned out to be a fraudulent fundraising scheme. In connection with the fraud meant to raise capital from investors for a project that was ostensibly never planned to get off the ground, thirty people were detained.