Did you know many of Canberra's buses have unofficial names?

Not only do each of Canberra’s buses have a number, but it turns out many also have their own name.

Underneath the digital route screen at the front of the Transport Canberra and older ACTION-badged buses, you’ll often find a white sticker with a name that could be anything from ‘Big Bendy’ to ‘Colonel Link’, or ‘Caroline’ to ‘Oswald’.

While Transport Canberra denies giving names to all the buses in its fleet, there are at least two with official names and hundreds of others with nicknames invented by workshop staff.

The first bus to ever receive the treatment was Bus 319, an Irisbus Agora based in the Belconnen Depot. The name ‘Big Merv’ has been sign-written on the back of the bus and also appears on a plaque inside.

A spokesperson for Transport Canberra says it’s named after a former ACTION bus driver, even if there are “no official records” for why the 319 was chosen.

“Merv Ogden was employed at Transport Canberra from 1999 until 2005. Bus 319 was named after Merv,” the spokesperson said.

“It was a sign of respect for drivers who pass away in service.”

More names followed in 2009, when a batch of Scania L94UB buses arrived at Tuggeranong Depot. But unlike Big Merv, these ones are thought to have been applied by workshop staff as labels either on the inside of the front of the bus or on the rear window.

Many of these have since been removed or faded from view but here are the names:

Roderick (320), Cornelius (321), Adrianna (322), Susannah (323), Cassius (324), Randolph (325), Giuseppe (326), Zoltan (327), Demetrius (328), Rosemary (329), Sylvester (330), Braxton (331), Zowie (332), Dorothy (333), Gareth (334), Mildred (335), Yolanda (336), Wilhelmina (337), Igor (338), Bartholomew (339), Lucinda (340), Stephine (341), Duncan (342), Sigourney (343), Baldrick (344), Rapunzel (345), Xavier (346), Doris (347), Morphius (348), Claude (349), Bruce (350), Copernicus (351), Charmaine (352), Tyrone (353), Jebediah (354), Napoleon (355), Genevieve (356), Mylie (357), Abigail (358), Simone (359), Gretel (360), Matthew B (361), Morgan (362), Winston (363), Wilbur (364), Ruprecht (365), Richard H (366), Oswald (367), Dermot (368), Hansel (369), Montgomery (370), Edward (371), Merrick (372) and Abraham (373).

In July 2012, with the arrival of new Scania K360UA articulated buses, ACTION joined in again and invited suggestions for names through its official Twitter account. All 33 were given names, even if not all of them were labelled.

Big Bendy has arrived in Canberra – expect to see her on the road within the next month or two. pic.twitter.com/LmQPf6qq

— Transport Canberra (@Transport_CBR) July 16, 2012

These include Big Bendy (506), Flexy Lexy (507), Hector the Connector (508), Bend-Jamin (509), Walter Curly Griffin (510), Murrumbendy (511), Colonel Link (512), Artic Monkey (513), Mo-bender (514), Twisted Sister (515), The Bennie (516), Gordon the Accordion (517), So Long (518), Bender Bending Rodrigeuz, Sr (519), Centy (520), Long John (521), Lulu (522), Titania the Scania (523), Marion (524), Quintero (525), Bossman (526), The Green Wiggle (527), Snazzy (528), Road Whale (529), North West (530), South West (531), George Articulated Louis (532), Oliver Twist (533), BART-iculated (534), Jelly Belly (535), Blossom (536), Flo Rider (537), Katie-Pillar (538), Bendy Blue (621), Berliet Articule (674), Bend-about (675), Bendibus Prime (677), Spencer (679), Wibbly Wobbly (680) and Timey Wimey (681).

In 2014, a second bus was named in honour of a former employee. Nigel Stokes, a long-time bus driver trainer lent his name to Bus 554, with it sign-written below the driver’s window and on the front bulkhead inside. However, these labels were later removed from 554 and reapplied to 560 – the first bus delivered to Tuggeranong Depot following Nigel’s death.

“Nigel Stokes was a long-term Transport Canberra employee who was responsible for training many of the older generation vehicle operators,” the Transport Canberra spokesperson says.

“He was employed from 1980 to 2014.”

In 2020, the unofficial labels started reappearing on both older buses from the Belconnen Depot, as well as new arrivals at Tuggeranong. As before, the exact source remains a mystery, but Transport Canberra confirms there are “currently vehicles in service that have a label fitted to the inside with a name for the vehicle”.

Steggo (963), Tricey (971) and Gwendoline (974) are among the old orange and blue Renaults, while the other Irisbus names include Felicity (301), Clementine (303), Madeline (309), Estelle (306), Jeanne Antoinette (307), Vivienne (311), Buecannon (312) and Claudette (313).

The older of the green and white Scania buses (with the round headlights) are Groot (464), Glumdalclitch (465), Hulk (466), Ronan (467), Maddison Anne (468), Andre (469), Addison (470), Clemira (471), Amelia (472), Lurch (473), Chewbacca (474), Sandor (475), Carol (476), Drogo (477), Andrea (478), Robert-John (479), Gregor (480), Jaws (481), Romanadvoratrelundar (482), Susan (483), Brienne (484), Moana (485), Cthulhu (486), Rubeus (487), Tiffany (488) and Harry (489).

The MAN buses – also green and white – are Caroline (374), Darwin (376), Josh (378), Priscilla (379), Aristotle (380), Rutherford (381), Mendeleev (382), Galileo (383), Pascal (384), Faraday (385), Chango (386), Isaac (387), Sally (388), Ludwig (389), Angela (390), Griswald (391), Bill (392), Ben (393), Herman (394), Meinhard (395), Augustus (396), Vollrath (397), Bertram (398), Emil (399), Jacinta (400), Peggy (401), Bluey (403), Wolfgang (404), Leon (407), Eberhardt (409), Günter (410), Klaus (411), Jürgen (412), Maximillian (413), Clotilde (414), Fynn (415), Vortimer (416), Brunhilda (417), Gillaesbuig (418), Gottfried (420), Ferris (421), Edelmar (423), Ryszard (424), Engelbert (425), Levin (426), Adelfuns (427), Emery (428), Gay (429), Berinhard (430), Manfried (431), Ferdinand (432), Ursula (435), Serenon (436), Magnus (437), Soloman (438), Arnold (439), Ralph (440), Obi-Wan (441), Ernst (443), The Brigadier (444), Delia (445), Hubert (446), Franz (447), Karlheinz (448), Henry (449), Wilhuff (450), Reinhardt (451), Dwight (452), Kaiser (455), Mohler (456), Jeremias (457), Oskar (458), Casey (460), Mandawuy (461), Scooter (491), Poppy (492), Barristan (493), Rocketman (496), Zoe (497), Leopold (498), Jasmine (500), Captain Rex (501), Lance Brown 104 (502), Natalie (504) and Dianne (505).

The newer blue and white Scania buses are Agnetha (539), Björn (540), Benny (541), Anni-Frid (542), Zingula (544), Britt-Marie (545), Kjerstin (546), Kättilgärdh (547), Perpugilliam (548), Aslog (550), Yngvild (551), Elsa (553), Thiudhborg (554), Ragnhild (555), Ragnara (558), Ingaborg (559), Nigel Stokes (560), Satine (561), Bo-Katan (562), Sarah Jane (563), Lea (565), Kels (566), Clara (567), Vastra (568), Jenny (569), Molly (570), Strax (571), Rose (572), Mickey (573), Anna (576), Miriam (579), Florence (581), The Machine (582), Linnea (583), Jannicke (584), Douglas (585), Ulfhild (586), Hedwig (587), Karen (588), Gough (589), Ingegard (591), Viveka (592), Aurra (593), Frideborg (595), Jogärdh (596), Marlene (598), Dagmar (599), Dodo (600), Cass (601), Agnes (602), Captain Jack (603), Pernilla (605), Osgood (606), Polly (607), Elora (608), Luna (609), Sansa (610), Arya (611), Ace (620), Darryl (622), Farouk (623), Tracy (624), Alf (625), Morag (626), Bert (627), Osher (628), Kerri-Anne (629), Miss Jane (630), Mr Squiggle (631), Miss Pat (632), Blackboard (633), Steamshovel (634), Rocket (635), Edna (637), Don (639), Humphrey B Bustech (640), Modigliana (641), Tegan (642), Skippy (644), Blinky (646), Reg (647), Muriel (648), Dazza (649), Dundee (651), Gustavo (652), Tiago (653), Julinha (654), Belinha (656), Mariazinha (657), Benedita (658), Gracília (659), Beatriz (661), Agueda (665), Lucifer (666), Nelinha (667), Leonor (668), Fernanda (669), Eddie (670), Martim (671), Charlotte (682), Agro (684), Greg (685), Shazza (686), Anthony (687), Rove (690), Lee Lin (691), Ray (692), David (693), Steve (694), Bindi (695), Bob (696), Plucka (697), Ossie (698), Ty (699), Snugglepot (700), Cuddlepie (701), Von (705), Frank (706), Gabrielle (707), Terri (708), Sally F (709), Irene (710), Maggie (711), Charlene (712), Harold (713), Sharon (714), Kath (715), Kim (716), Kel (717), Brett (718), Prue (719), Trude (720) and Epponnee-Rae (721).

So, who’s giving you a lift?