Captain Canuck’s Metro Vancouver public transit etiquette tips. (Kenneth Chan)
Metro Vancouver’s public transit passengers are getting some superhero advice on how to be better passengers — and how not to become the villain of someone else’s commute.
TransLink has teamed up with iconic Canadian comic book superhero Captain Canuck for a new public transit etiquette campaign, using colourful comic-style public service announcement (PSA) posters and graphics to remind passengers about some of the most basic courtesies that can make bus and SkyTrain rides more comfortable for everyone.
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The campaign features Captain Canuck demonstrating and encouraging a range of good public transit behaviours, including moving farther into a vehicle to make room for others, taking backpacks off on crowded trains and buses, allowing passengers to exit before boarding, and giving up priority seats to people who need them.
Other messages encourage passengers to use headphones for music and videos, keep phone calls short, and avoid wearing strong scents.
Captain Canuck’s Metro Vancouver public transit etiquette tips. (Kenneth Chan)
The PSAs are now appearing throughout TransLink’s public transit system, including on digital screens and print poster advertising panels at SkyTrain stations and inside trains and buses.
Upon inquiry, TransLink told Daily Hive Urbanized the campaign is inspired by Canadian pride and is intended to present familiar etiquette reminders in a more engaging and lighthearted way.
“Through a series of fun and engaging comics, Captain Canuck encourages customers to be mindful of others and help create a more respectful, welcoming transit experience for everyone,” TransLink spokesperson Thor Diakow told Daily Hive Urbanized.
He says different versions of the campaign have been created depending on where the PSAs are displayed. Simplified graphics with short messages are being used in locations where passengers may only have a few seconds to see them while walking through stations, using escalators, or passing through fare gates.
More elaborate comic strips are being placed in locations where passengers are likely to have more time to read them, such as station platforms and aboard public transit vehicles.
Captain Canuck’s Metro Vancouver public transit etiquette tips. (Kenneth Chan)
The illustrations were created by Dan Parent and Fadi Hakim of Lev Gleason Publications, the publisher behind Captain Canuck.
The campaign builds on TransLink’s earlier collaboration with the Canadian superhero. In February 2026, just in time for Fan Expo Vancouver, the public transit authority released a limited-edition Captain Canuck Compass Card.
Thor says the initiative has since grown into a two-year Captain Canuck intellectual property licensing partnership with Lev Gleason Publications that began in June 2026, allowing TransLink to further incorporate the character into its public transit etiquette campaigns.
First created in 1975, Captain Canuck is one of Canada’s best-known homegrown comic book superheroes, traditionally depicted in a red-and-white costume featuring prominent Canadian imagery.
TransLink has launched various public transit etiquette campaigns over the years, particularly since emerging from the pandemic. Before the launch of the Captain Canuck campaign, some of its previous PSAs promoting good passenger behaviour have taken a more literal and straightforward approach.
Captain Canuck’s Metro Vancouver public transit etiquette tips. (TransLink/Lev Gleason Publications)
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- 23 Vancouver public transit etiquette rules that basically NO ONE follows
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- Vancouver public transit etiquette fails to avoid for everyone’s sake
- How TransLink is trying to make your commute less of a pain in the backpack
- Things riders like least about the Vancouver public transit experience
