Harpenden children choose new Hopper community bus name: “Hetty Hopper”

Harpenden Hopper, community bus service, together with Harpenden Town Council asked local children to name their new bus. Children were invited to submit names for the bus together with a creative design for a Hopper poster in a competition this Summer. Congratulations to Aryan, Luke, James and Rory who all suggested the winning name 'Hetty' for the new bus which the judges agreed makes a great working partner for Harold the Hopper bus.  

New bus “Hetty Hopper” was purchased by Harpenden Town Council and will join Harold as part of the Hopper service from this Summer.

 Harpenden Hopper Chairman, Andy Buchanan said “We were overwhelmed by the bright, colourful drawings and imaginative name suggestions submitted by local children. Some of the entries really made us laugh, including Hopa Fett, Technoblade and Harry the Hare. Others perfectly reflected the Hopper’s community spirit, with names such as Friend, Hero and Happy. The most imaginative suggestion was Harpenden Piggy Hop Chop Hopper as suggested by Tony, but the winning name – chosen independently by the four children – is Hetty!

The Harpenden Hopper team would like to thank every child who took part in the competition. The fantastic response made choosing a winning name incredibly difficult, and the creativity shown in both the artwork and name suggestions was a delight to see.”

Posters showing the competition entries are now on display and can be viewed at Harpenden Library, the Harpenden Building Society and in the Hopper buses.

Cllr Kirsti Wenn, Mayor of Harpenden, said:

“Thank you to all the incredible young artists who entered the Harpenden Hopper competition, it was a pleasure to see the wonderful artwork and ideas for a name for the new bus.

The Harpenden Hopper plays a vital role in our community and the Town Council is delighted to have bought the new bus and continues to support this fantastic charity. This service provides essential support to people in our community and we are so grateful to their team of drivers. I’d really like to encourage residents to use the Harpenden Hopper it’s a great way to travel around Harpenden, access essential services, attend social activities, and meet friends and family.”

Current Harpenden Hopper minibuses named "Harold” and “Holly” have serviced the Harpenden Community since 2018. With Holly’s retirement this year, Harpenden Town Council purchased the new vehicle in August to continue supporting and partnering this formidable charity. Hetty will be seen in full service later this summer.  

Read our press release in full here