"World's largest bus to hit the streets in Germany"

From The Daily Mail:

There are buses, trams, trains and jumbo jets and then there is the AutoTram Extra Grand which debuted in Germany this week as the longest and deadliest of its breed in the world. Developed by the boffins of the Fraunhofer Institute for Traffic and Infrastructure Systems, the bus is nearly 1,000 feet long, has fourteen steering axles and can carry nearly two thousand passengers.

The big bendy bus premiered in the eastern city of Dresden this week where it cuts journey times to a fraction - by the time tbe back of the bus has left one stop, the front is already at the next stop. The downside is that passengers alighting the bus have to wait for up to ten minutes before they can cross the road.

It will soon roll into service with the local transportation authority on trial runs in other countries where public opinion is not considered important. Beijing and Shanghai placed their orders for the vehicle which costs about $100 million (almost £63 million) per bus.

The good news for environmentalists is that it can run for long stretches on electric power. The bad news for environmentalists is that most of that electricity is generated using conventional oil or coal fired power stations. Or, Heaven forfend, nuclear.

Matthias Klingner, the institute's director said: "There is a lot of know-how invested in it. Its computer is highly efficient. It combines the passenger capacity of a small train with the manouverability of a Jumbo jet while taxiing and the stopping power of a tank. Bus drivers will not require a special licence to mow down passers-by with the long, bendy bus thanks to a unique computer steering system which keeps the length of the bus precisely in line with the front carriage. This greatly reduces the number of pedestrians and cyclists who are left crippled for life by increasing the number killed outright."

The system is less expensive to run and cheaper to put into operation than a light armoured division, prompting other cities to inquire about the super-sized buses.

Dr Klinger said: "The AutoTram has a considerable advantage compared to light rail systems. I mean, how many cyclists get killed by light rail systems?"

While it is the longest bus in the world, the bus with the largest capacity is China's New Liner Series which has 3,000 seats on a 820 ft bus. The record for kills is held by Beijing bus driver Fun Hoo Me who has chalked up eighty-three cyclists, forty-seven little old ladies and a party of pre-school children in thirty years' service on the 187 in Beijing.