The AutoTram Extra Grand debuted in Germany as the longest bus in the world.
The bus developed by the boffins of the Fraunhofer Institute for Traffic and Infrastructure Systems, it is nearly 101 feet long, has four steering axles and can carry 256 passengers.
According to the Daily Mail, the big bendy bus premiered in the eastern city of Dresden this week where it will soon roll into service. The vehicle costs about 10 million dollars per bus.
The bus has come as good news for environmentalists as it can run for long stretches on electric power.
“There is a lot of know-how invested in it. It’s computer is highly efficient,” Matthias Klingner, the institute’s director said.
“The innovation of the AutoTram lies not only in its length, but most of all in its ability to be manoeuvred like a conventional 12 metre (39ft) city bus,” he said.
“There’s no problem with the manoeuvrability and stability, but we have to see how such a long bus affects normal city traffic,” he added.
Made in Germany, the new bendy bus has already been ordered by Chinese cities Shanghai and Beijing.
The system is less expensive to run and cheaper to put into operation than a rail commuter system, prompting other cities to inquire about the super-sized buses.
“The AutoTram has a considerable advantage compared to light rail systems,” Dr Klinger said. While it is the longest bus in the world, the bus with the largest capacity is China’s New Liner Series, which has 300 seats on a 82ft bus, the report added.