Two-and-a-half weeks. That's all it took for 2018 to produce a new naming contest mishap – and this one is happening right here on Vancouver Island.

It started when Tofino Bus upgraded its transportation services to offer connections to most parts of Vancouver Island and a direct connection to Vancouver.

The company decided it needed a new name to reflect the fact it was now operating beyond just Tofino, and like so many companies before it, gave the public a chance to weigh in on Facebook.

But on Thursday morning, more than 1,000 comments poured in on the Tofino Bus Facebook post recommending the company change its name – to "Jeff."

"I went to check this morning just to see what was new, and there were over 1,000 comments just since 9 a.m.," said Darcy Lefebvre, Tofino Bus's Marketing Director. "If you look at a few of the posts, some of them are actually pretty funny. Some of them have put some time into coming up with clever ideas.

He said he has "no idea" how the Jeff joke got started, and that the comments appeared to be streaming in from around the world.

"Jeff would be a great name for such a down to earth and hard-working bus," wrote Jarrad Hughes.

Others commented that the bus "looks like a Jeff," while one person called it "playful, cool and easy to memorize."

If it goes through, the company's bus would have the name "Jeff" plastered on its side, but Lefebvre said it's not likely.

"We're looking for something that's unique and that suits the brand. That's the one thing that a lot of people like about Tofino is that it already has that brand of fun," he said.

It follows in the footsteps of other naming contest blunders – the most notable being when U.K. residents chose to name the country's new underwater research vessel "Boaty McBoatface."

The company said it's taking suggestions until the end of the month and expects to choose a new name sometime in February.

As part of its new service, the company is providing a thrice-daily service between Victoria, Nanaimo, Parksville, Buckley Bay, Courtenay and Campbell River, with additional routes to Port McNeill, Port Hardy and connections to Vancouver.