Well, that was fun! I’m talking, of course, about the Transit Pet Peeve Battle that happened on the TransLink Facebook page between November 17 and yesterday, November 28. If you are unfamiliar with the battle, the idea was to collect the eight most popular complaints customers have of other customers’ etiquette on transit. The eight complaints were then translated into illustrations of pets that personified (or should I say, petsonified) these etiquette faux pas. Each weekday, two pet peeves battled each other by having Facebook users vote for which pet peeve they thought was the biggest. Draws for prizes were given away after each weekday of the contest. In the beginning, there were eight pet peeves. For the final battle, only two remained.

In the one corner was Blocking Bunny. This furry “friend” likes to stand as close to the SkyTrain doors as possible while standing on the platform. When people try to get off the train, they have to navigate around this peevish pet, allowing fewer people to get off the train and fewer people to board the train. This blocker also makes it difficult for people with mobility challenges by obstructing doors. Please stand to the side of the doors and allow passengers to edit the SkyTrain.

In the other corner was Funky Ferret. This little stinker is known for wearing one splash of perfume or cologne too many or exuding excessive body odour (especially during the summer months). We ask that you think of your fellow passengers on transit and give yourself a sniff before you leave home.

It was a close battle. Funky Ferret took an early lead, but Blocking Bunny caught up, and looked like an upset was possible. At the time of the voting cut off, Funky Ferret was the winner with 55% of the votes (450 votes to 369 votes).

Thanks to all the Buzzer readers who participated and voted. Although the battle is over, these illustrations may live on in another form on the system in the not too distant future.

For those of you who think we should be putting more attention on people who act appropriately on transit, I hear what you’re saying. I will be giving it some thought as to how a perfect (not peevish) transit pet might someday work itself into a future campaign.