经理跑路，资金链断裂，传说中的快巴岌岌可危

据中国媒体报道，前段时间被炒得很热的宽体高架公交项目“立体快巴”近来遭遇重大挫折。该项目号称可以完美解决中国越来越严重的城市交通拥堵问题，但如今，它的全尺寸试验车被丢弃在了秦始皇的试验场。而开发它的公司似乎已经人间蒸发了。有中国媒体派记者前往秦皇岛查看，据门卫说，“经理早就跑路了，联系不上他们。”

这家公司名叫巴铁科技，今年，它在北京国际科技产业博览会上展示了相关概念，引起了全世界的兴趣。这款车被命名为“立体快巴”，用来在交通公路的上方空间运送乘客，以缓解拥堵。

但是，这个创意的可靠性遭到了很多人的质疑，它面临一些根本性的障碍，今年5月问世的试验车又存在设计错误，其中最明显的，是它留给下方车辆的空间高度只有目前中国公路上最高的交通工具的一半。

但这个项目的麻烦不只有设计问题。立体快巴在8月发布之时，就有中国媒体质疑这个项目是骗局，只是为了骗外行的钱。一家中国官方媒体将立体快巴比作之前骗走小投资者76亿美元的投资骗局e租宝。据说，部分投资者在看过媒体的负面报道后，试图要回他们在立体快巴上的投资。

尽管立体快巴的发明人宋有洲坚称，公司仍在正常运营，但据消息人士说，一位大投资人已经拒绝再向公司提供资金。此外，公司的管理团队也离开了秦皇岛。这种看上去充满未来色彩的交通工具的前景相当黯淡。 （财富中文网）

作者：David Z. Zorris

译者：Mushroom

A recent report from Chinese news outlet The Paper says that a radical “straddling bus” that promised to solve China’s mounting urban traffic problem has hit a major roadblock. A full-scale test model of the bus has been all but abandoned at its testing site in Qinhuangdao, and the company developing it seems to have evaporated.

Sina also sent a reporter to the test site. According to a translation by Shanghaiist, a guard said that “The managers from the company have long drifted away, and I am unable to contact them.”

That company, Transit Explore Bus, ignited global interest in May, when it showcased the concept at the Beijing International High-Tech Expo. The vehicle, dubbed the Transit Elevated Bus, was intended to carry passengers above road traffic, helping reduce congestion.

But many observers (including Fortune) were skeptical of the basic viability of the idea. The working model built over the summer added design errors to more fundamental hurdles—most notably, the bus offered vehicle clearance about half as high as the tallest vehicles on China’s roads.

But more than design problems led to the project’s troubles. Back in August, when the TEB test model was unveiled, Chinese media began arguing that TEB was a fraudulent scheme, intended only to fleece the naïve. An editorial at the Huanqiu news service compared TEB to a prior investment scam called Ezubao, which stole $7.6 billion from small investors. At least some investors have reportedly tried to get their money back following the negative media reports.

Though TEB inventor Song Youzhou has insisted the company is still operating normally, sources told The Paper that a major TEB investor has now cut off further funds to the company, and the TEB management team has already left Qinhuangdao. That certainly doesn’t bode well for this particular future of transportation.