These are the first official images of the 'new Routemaster' bus - an all-new double-decker that Transport for London hopes to have in service by 2012.
The spiritual successor to the original and iconic Routemaster - which was retired from service in 2005 - will be built in Northern Ireland by Wrightbus and should succeed the unpopular junction-clogging bendy buses on London's streets.
Much like the original Routemaster, the new bus will have an open rear, allowing the hop-on, hop-off flexibility that made the old one such a hit.
What the new bus won't repeat, however, is the particulate-heavy diesel nastiness - TfL says the new hybrid powertrain will make the bus 15 per cent more efficient than the existing hybrid bus fleet, and 40 per cent more frugal than non-hybrid diesel double-deckers
Visually, the new bus makes a nod to the original Routemaster with its curving rear roofline and rounded 'forehead', but its most striking design features are the two glass 'swoops' that mark the location of the two staircases.
"This iconic new part of our transport system is not only beautiful, but also has a green heart beating beneath its stylish, swooshing exterior," said London Mayor Boris Johnson.
"I expect to eventually have hundreds of these on London's roads, and for cities around the globe to be beside themselves with envy for our stunning red emblem of 21st Century London."
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