The return of one of the capital’s best known symbols, the iconic Routemaster, came a step closer today when Boris Johnson unveiled winning designs for the new-look bus.

Heralding a “greener, lighter and less noisy” modern bus, the Mayor of London promised that the new version of the Routemaster would be trundling the streets of London by 2011.

In a 21st-century twist on the hop on, hop off concept, the new bus could feature a glass ceiling and an uninterrupted view from windows curving around the top deck.

That proposal, put forward by car company Aston Martin and architects Foster and Partners, was one of two joint winners whose designs will be incorporated into any future design.

Despite some scepticism surrounding the project, Mr Johnson said he was confident that safety issues and cost could be overcome.

“Its true that the hop on, hop off feature is something that people have got to be sensible about and have got to take care,” he said.

“But I do think its something that people loved and want for London. It gives a sense of openness to our buses.”

The Aston Martin and Foster’s design came joint first in a competition to design the successor to the driver-and-conductor Routemaster which was taken out of regular service at the end of 2005.

The other joint winner was bus, coach and truck design company Capoco Design, which is based at Salisbury in Wiltshire.

The winning designs will now be passed on to bus manufacturers to develop into a final proposed design.

Transport for London said today: “We expect to award a contract to develop and build the first new bus for London towards the end of next year, after a competitive tendering process.

“The first of the new buses will be on the streets of London by 2011.”

Under Lord Foster, Foster and Partners has been responsible for a number of major projects including the Millennium Bridge in London and the capital’s 30 St Mary Axe, better known as the Gherkin.

The Aston Martin/Foster bus design envisages a highly manoeuvrable, zero-emissions vehicle, with drive-by-wire, solar panels built into a glass roof, a vehicle accessible for all, with warm lighting and wooden floors.

Under the leadership of Alan Ponsford, the Capoco design combines what the company describes as “the best of the old with the best of the new”.

It has a low flat floor to allow easy access and will be low emission, but will also retain the Routemaster-style front engine and open rear platform.

More than 700 entries were received in the competition, in which children were also invited to take part.

A number of people received prizes, with the joint winners getting £25,000 each. The youngest winners were nine-year-olds Thomas Staricoff, from Brighton, and Olivia Carrier, from northwest London, who received £200 bicycle vouchers for their drawings of what a new bus should look like.

Mr Johnson said today: “I promised Londoners that I would hold a competition to design a new bus for London, based on the much-missed Routemaster, and today we can unveil the fantastic winning designs.

“When I launched the competition, I asked for stylish and imaginative designs which would resonate with Londoners.

“We have had a phenomenal response, with ideas submitted from around the globe, and we now have, in our joint winners, two stunning designs that allow us to go forward and produce a truly iconic bus fit for 21st-century London.

“I know that, like me, Londoners will be waiting eagerly to see how these ideas evolve into the final design that will appear on our roads.”

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