The new Routemaster? Foster designs a glass-topped bus

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The unusual design is one of several for a competition held by Mayor Boris Johnson to find a replacement for the famous bus.

He has pledged to get rid of bendy buses and introduce a 21st century version of the Routemaster.

The proposal, by Foster & Partners, features a see-through roof curving around the top deck of the hop-on, hop-off bus. It will give passengers an uninterrupted view as they travel through the city.

A side panel would allow disabled passengers and people with prams to get aboard, and the driver and conductor would communicate with wireless headsets.

The first of London's 393 bendy buses will be retired next year. They have been beset by safety concerns and branded "intimidating" and "inappropriate" for London streets.

Operators will have to replace the 18-metre vehicles with a new generation Routemaster, with the new buses expected on the roads by 2012.

It is thought the cost of replacing the buses could exceed £100million.