Boris Johnson today revealed the winning designs for a new generation of Routemasters. And it's a draw. The judges (who included the Mayor and a cohort of transport luvvies) chose designs by Capoco (left) and a super-combo-all-star tag team of Norman Foster, designer Todd Hutton and Aston Martin (right).
The Capoco bus looks somewhat like its hallowed predecessor, with larger internal spaces and wheelchair access. The design by Foster et al. is bold and daring, with an organically curved arse-end reminiscent of the Alien.
The two designs will be passed on to a bus manufacturer to be merged and honed, which raises questions about just how representative of the final product these designs are. Diamond Geezer, meanwhile, has an alternative suggestion for the bus of the future. The first new Routemasters, whatever they look like, should be on the streets by 2011.
