With a "smile" worked into the grille, it may seem more like a runaway from the set of Thomas the Tank Engine, than the resurrection of a London icon.
But designers the H4 Routemaster believe they have ticked all the right boxes to woo judges of the competition with their vision for the new bus.
Transport for London will next month choose a winner from 700 enteries, as part of Boris Johnson's pledge to do away with bendy buses and roll-out a new range of Routemasters onto London's roads.
"We have fulfilled the competition brief, with disabled access, low deck, two points of entry - one open at the rear," says H4's managing director, Guy Middleton.
"We have focused on clean circulation within the bus and a more efficient, lightweight seating. The additional TV screens provide potential advertising revenue for local and national brands."
TfL top brass will judge the award along with Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor's transport adviser.
David Brown, managing director for TfL surface transport, added: " We're really pleased with the response to the competition, which has clearly caught the imagination of many Londoners and people from further afield."
TfL is tight-lipped about the other enteries and a date for the new bus to hit the roads is yet to be announced.
