Public transport is a great way to reduce traffic and gridlock in a crowded city. But do those benefits still apply when the streets are filled with 30m long buses like the Fraunhofer Institute’s AutoTram Extra Grand? Forget tight corners — this thing might not even make it through a green light.
The AutoTram Extra Grand was designed to be a cheaper alternative to trains since it uses existing roadways instead of requiring railway infrastructure to be built. But because of its extreme length, it will actually be limited to use outside of crowded city centres for hauling suburban commuters — up to 256 per busload.
A specially developed steering algorithm ensures the rear sections of the bus perfectly follow the cab, and it makes driving the behemoth feel like piloting a standard-sized bus, so no special licence is needed to operate it. But given its length, there’s a good chance passengers might need a transfer just to walk from one end to the other as they hunt for a seat. [Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems via The Local via Dvice]