For the people

The retired Routemaster double-decker bus is still such a highly regarded icon of London, England, that developing a new bus was made a campaign promise. As part of London Mayor Boris Johnson’s successful election pledges, he said the city would get a “21st century Routemaster.”

In The Bus We Loved: London’s Affair with the Routemaster, author Travis Elborough captures the unique appeal of the front-engined double-decker bus with this: “It is more than a bus, it was the bus we loved, probably the only public-service road vehicle any of us has ever, hand on heart, loved. It’s probably the only bus many of us have ever known by its real name.”

Placed into regular service in 1959, the red Routemaster bus, designed for and built in London by AEC and Park Royal Vehicles, became a symbol of the city. Even after it was retired from service on Dec. 9, 2005, its appeal has yet to fade.

Last July, Johnson joined Transport for London (TfL) to launch a public competition to design a brand new bus, inspired by the capital’s iconic Routemaster.

Far from a simple art contest, this was a competition to harvest ideas and concepts for a new bus design. There were money or prizes in store for winners in several categories, and a real potential of creating the next London bus. Designers submitted their designs in one of two categories:

• Design a bus for London: Entrants had the option of submitting a design for a part of the bus or a “whole-bus” design. Designs in this category had to be detailed and comply with specifications provided by TfL. A number of drawings were required, as well as written documents providing detailed descriptions of the design and features of the bus.
• Imagine a bus for London: Entrants submitted single design concepts for particular features of the bus, or a sketch of the overall look. The judges looked for the best ideas rather than detailed technical designs. Entries were judged based on age.

The rules asked for a stylish, imaginative design that would have an impact on the streets of London. Key features included an open platform (a Routemaster trademark) ; good use of interior space, accessibility, and green technology.

Given a few months to complete the designs, more than 700 total entries were submitted. From the detailed “Design a bus for London” category, there were 225 entries. Most were from the UK but also Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America.

“The sheer scale of the response to this competition clearly shows how much it caught the imagination of Londoners and others worldwide,” said Peter Hendy, commissioner, TfL, in announcing the winners last September. “We now have a wealth of fantastic ideas to present to the bus manufacturers, who will create the final design of the new bus for London, due to hit the streets in 2011.”

Two co-winners were named in the top category (for which they won £25,000 each): bus specialist Capoco Design Ltd., Salisbury, England; and a team comprised of London-based architectural firm Foster + Partners and luxury sports car manufacturer Aston Martin. The youngest winners in the competition, in the “imagine” category, were a pair of nine-year-olds who received £200 worth of bicycle vouchers.

At a public presentation of the winning designs, held in March at the London Transport Museum, Foster partner Alistair Lenczner says, “When the competition first came out, I was very interested in it, as I have for a long time been interested in transport design. I have wondered why we don’t we have someone design a new bus to replace the Routemaster.”