I went on a business trip to London after so many years, and the first thing I noticed in the city was the bus called the New Routemaster which was introduced in 2012. In 1959, the first Routemaster became a new means of the public transport in London, and in the words of Tony Lewin, it became "the first truly modern bus, and widely celebrated as a design classic." (Tony Lewin "London's New Routemater," Marrell, 2013.)

The New Routemaster viewed from the angle of Photo 1 is stunning. A black line that flows from the upper right to the lower left on the rear view is to resemble the staircase of the first Routemaster which was visible from the rear window. In the first half of the 1990s when I was studying at a business school in London, many Routemasters of the first generation were still on the road, and I used to jump on one when it was stuck in the traffic jam. While I like the front of the Routemasters, I still prefer the adorable round rear roof of the first and new models.

There are many cars that are arranged in a more contemporary style based on the old model such as Austin Mini, Volkswagen Beatle, and Fiat 500, but I think the design of the New Routemaster is outstanding. Thomas Heatherwick, the designer of the New Routemaster, says: "the outcome of our collaboration with the Transport for London and bus manufacturer Wrightbus was a design that attempts to create a better balance between infrastructural needs and the human experiences of bus travel in the capital." (Tony Lewin, "London's New Routemater," Marrell, 2013.)