I knew this absolutely ages and ages ago, of course, but now it's official: the results of Mayor Johnson's Design A Bus competition will be announced next Friday at an as yet undisclosed location. It was in the Commissioner's report to this morning's TfL board meeting (pdf).
This development sheds light on the puzzlement of some over one entrant, Hugh Frost's futuristic Freight Bus, revealing that it hasn't won. That is because losers and winners alike are being informed of their fates, so that diaries can be cleared or otherwise.
So who will the winners be? I'm told that reaching decisions hasn't been easy due to the high standard of the many entries. "People have spent thousands of pounds putting them together," says one who knows. "It's quite amazing. And it's not just the whole bus designs. Some of the ideas for small parts and details have been outstanding and completely new. The mayor said he wanted the competition to capture people's imaginations and there's no doubt at all that it has."
As for the identities of those to be crowned in glory by The Blond next week, all I can say is that the last I heard from one low-profile but quietly confident entrant, there had been no disappointing news from the judging panel. If the unlucky ones are being informed first, this might be a cause for optimism. On the other hand it might not. Cripes, blimey, and so on - the tension is killing me...
