So the kids over at the mayor's office have unveiled the 'iconic final design' for the new Routemaster buses (here's their press release on it, and another page with some video and pictures).

Back in December, it was announced that the design competition for the bus had been won by two teams: a collaborative team from Foster & Partners and Aston Martin, and a team from automotive design firm Capoco.

Their designs were then passed to bus manufacturers The Wright Group, who have joined up with the Heatherwick Studio to work on the final design, which should be pulling up at London bus stops sometime in 2012.

It boasts three doorways, two staircases, and a pile of green credentials; interestingly the jump-on-jump-off platform is designed to be closed at 'quieter times'. We're guessing that actually means at night, once most of the passengers are drunk.

We'll have to wait until 2012 to see if the design actually merits the term 'iconic', but that list of designers - Fosters, Aston Martin, and Heatherwick - that at least suggests that it might. Doesn't it?

Hold tight please...