Turns out that futuristic elevated bus is a scam, according to Chinese media

Chinese engineers gave us a glimpse into the future with their futuristic straddling bus, but our hopes may be dashed after state media branded it a complete scam to defraud investors.

For those that missed the online buzz around the Transit Elevated Bus (TEB), it’s essentially a giant elevated vehicle which spans several lanes of traffic, allowing cars of a certain height to drive underneath it.

Sounds great, right?

The megabus was road tested on August 2 in Qinhuangdao City to much applause, but various media outlets in the country have now questioned the project on a number of fronts.

READ MORE: Futuristic bus that drives above car traffic goes on test run in China (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

Local media have accused the company behind the TEB of misleading investors and crowdfunding their project illegally.

It’s also claimed the “road test” was nothing more than a publicity stunt and that its sole purpose was to drum up more interest among potential investors for a project that would never actually be created, according to The Shanghaiist.

The darker, elitist side of the criticism includes ridiculing of TEB’s designer, Song Youzhou, for only having an elementary school education.

It has also been discovered that TEB is far from being developed and that the “road test” last week was actually just "internal testing” to measure the acceleration and braking systems, reported CarNewsChina.

Authorities in Qinhuangdao City have also admitted they were unaware of the test taking place.

They also noted some major design flaws, including the 'tinsy-winsy' issue that TEB is being designed taller than the height limit on many roads in Chinese cities.

It also turns out a number of cars and trucks wouldn’t actually be able to fit under the bus as the clearance is just 2.1 meters, lower than the national height limit for smaller vehicles in China, the People's Daily reports.

Song has denied the claims insisting that his team “haven’t done anything wrong at all,” adding that “the latest tests show that the bus design is entirely possible.”