By Xu Tianran

Despite delays and difficulties, the designer of the super straddle bus, which was supposed to hit the roads in Mentougou district last December, remains optimistic, claiming the bus is very close to inking a $690 mil-lion deal with Brazil.

Song Youzhou, designer of the straddle bus, which allows cars to drive under its huge uplifted passenger compartment between its 2.2-meter-long legs, admitted that the arrival of venture capital investment for his planned bus project has been delayed.

"I finally got backing in October, and my Beijing company (China Combined Transport Straddling Bus Technology Development Co., Ltd) was issued a business license on October 3," Song said.

According to Song, China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry Group Corporation (CSR) and a Shanghai-based design company have been contracted to design the straddle bus.

The prototype is expected to roll out after the first half of this year, Song said.

Instead of conducting trial runs in Mentougou district as Song previously said, the prototype will be evaluated on the testing grounds of the manufacturers.

"Mentougou district would not sign contracts before the prototype is proven successful," said Song.

The Beijing Times quoted an unnamed source saying that the official from the district's science and technology commission, who was promoting the project, has been transferred.

"I only know that this project has not been approved by the district," said Wang Yuxuan, publicity office employee of the Mentougou district science and technology commission, adding that he knew nothing else of the project.

The feasibility of the straddle bus has been challenged by experts ever since concept designs were made public last year.

"This is more of a concept invention and has no technical significance," vehicle expert Wang Binggang was quoted as saying by the Southern Weekly.

"It is giant and would cause even more congestion in traffic trouble spots while being unnecessary in unimpeded areas."

According to Song, municipal government representatives from Manaus, a northern Brazilian city with a population of over 2 million, signed a letter of intent to purchase a 69-kilometer-long straddle bus system at a unit price of $10 million per kilometer on December 31.

Designers of the bus, the CSR Corporation, could not be reached for comment by the Global Times Thursday.