The concept Superbus, a potential new premium rapid transport option connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai for business commuters and tourists, will be unveiled for the first time outside Europe next week, bringing it a step closer to becoming a reality in the UAE.
The first prototype version of the Superbus will be showcased at the five-day UITP Mobility and Urban Transport Expo, which starts on Sunday at the Dubai National Exhibition and Convention Centre, marking its first public appearance in the Middle East.
The electric bus-limousine hybrid can reach speeds of 250kph and has been proposed by UAE authorities as the future of public transport for business commuters and tourists in the UAE and other Gulf countries.
The Superbus can carry 23 passengers at 250 kilometres per hour on a purpose-built “speed truck”, cutting commute times between Abu Dhabi and Dubai to 30 minutes and is seen by European designers as the future of sustainable transport.
The Superbus is the brainchild of a design team from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, which brought a prototype to the UAE after an initial research visit to coincide with the Middle East Commercial Vehicles Exhibition and Conference in Dubai last month, during which the Superbus project was presented to senior officials from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority.
It has been called the “Dutch solution” to the triple ills of public transport: congestion, pollution and safety.
Accompanying the vehicle in the UAE this week will be senior representatives of the design team, including general manager Ubbo Ockels, chief designer Antonia Terzi and infrastructure and logistics manager Joris Merkert.
The Super Bus will be in the UAE for two weeks, making an appearance at the UITP Expo, before travelling to the UAE capital where the Abu Dhabi Transport Authority will take the vehicle for a test drive.
“The Superbus brings together the challenges of mobility, spatial planning, service detail and environmental requirements all in one,” said Italian Antonia Terzi, former chief aerodynamicist and chief designer at the BMW Williams F1 team.
“Instead of a fixed schedule, Super Bus will have an intelligent route system. Passengers book online or via their mobile phone and the bus will pick up and drop off passengers at their preferred location.”
Offering car-like convenience, the Superbus is 15 metres long and has eight doors on each side, and will travel on the dedicated two-lane highway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, navigate “speed tracks” in the city and drop off passengers at agreed points.
Powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries, the 530 horsepower carbon fiber vehicle is roughly the length and width of a public bus but the height of a conventional SUV. With rear-wheel steering, the Super Bus also employs advanced radar and electronic obstacle detection systems to provide excellent maneuverability, strong braking and safety.
The Superbus project is supported by the Dutch government as well as 10 sponsors and 56 suppliers. A feasibility study carried out by the Dutch government for a high-speed connection between Amsterdam and Groningen in the north of the Netherlands found the Superbus concept to be the best option in terms of infrastructure costs, environmental impact and passenger numbers.
The first road tests of the Superbus took place in the Netherlands last September. While a feasibility study has yet to be carried out for the Abu Dhabi-Dubai route, a similar Amsterdam-Groningen route is being studied by the Dutch government, and other high-speed connection routes are currently being evaluated in several other countries around the world.
