Nairobi's bustling matatu stages, crucial to the city's transport network, often derive their names from intriguing historical backstories, linked to prominent landmarks, businesses, or past transport services.

• The Commercial stage, located behind the Kenya National Archives, was named after the former headquarters of Kenya Commercial Bank, a key stop for Kenya Bus Service (KBS) in the 1970s and 1980s.
• OTC originates from the Overseas Trading Company, a London-based firm that introduced 13 public buses to Kenya starting in 1934, operating 12 critical routes in Nairobi.
• The Ambassadeur stage is named after the historic Ambassadeur Hotel on Moi Avenue, which served as a central landmark and convenient boarding point for matatus due to its location and parking.
• The BS (Bus Station) stage, originally the Central Bus Station, was exclusively for KBS until the introduction of the Nyayo Bus Service and 14-seater matatus in the mid-1980s.
• Odeon, now a transport hub, was originally a cinema built in the early 1950s, screening films like Anarkali.