Create an international consortium with the aim towards selecting, training and flying astronauts.
That consortium would build capsules in large quantities.
Those capsules plus their escape tower would weigh towards 20 tonnes.
20 tonnes in LEO is what the Ariane V, TitanIV, new Delta rocket, Proton and Zenit can launch; have those rockets compete with each other for the manned capsule market (being launched from various bases for various orbits.
The capsule should initially be configured to launch 6 or 7 astronauts towards the station and be designed to stay in space up to 2 or 3 years. (The Apollo capsule could have launched 5 astronauts and was configured that way, once, for Skylab, as a rescue capsule).
The capsule could eventually be used to launch 2 astronauts to GEO or Polar Earth orbit or a very high orbit, if there is a need.
And, later on, be docked to a spaceship en route to the Moon, the asteroids or Mars.
The capsule would not be reusable, but could be used for a very long mission.
The capsule could help the ArianeV type launcher market, will be less expensive than the shuttle, will spend much more time in space doing more varied missions (if there's an interest in it) and will be there to return the crew in case of emergency (well, only if the capsule is somewhere in Earth orbit).
Just an idea.

Raoul