SeaBus Memes: How commute musings led to spot-on Vancouver laughs
The man behind SeaBus Memes still remembers the day it all started: April 11, 2018.
The first time he posted his commuting thoughts on the internet — and Vancouverites loved it.
Almost six years later, he has an audience of more than 200,000 users on Instagram and nearly 60,000 on TikTok that await his weekly Friday dump of funny and sarcastic content about life in the Lower Mainland.
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“At that time, I was taking the SeaBus to work a lot, and I thought, you know, I make a lot of observations every day. I could probably do something like this.”
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He was inspired by BC Ferries Memes, one of the original local meme accounts. At first, his content was purely about the SeaBus — his weekly ferry to and from work. When he ran out of ideas, it was time to expand to the larger Metro Vancouver area.
These days he touches on topics from housing frustration to funny local headlines — trucks hitting overpasses has been a hit lately. And the lengthy, hilarious captions that accompany the images are a hallmark.
“Writing’s always been sort of my thing that I’ve enjoyed the most,” he said. “And I literally don’t even think about the caption until like an hour before I post … It’s pretty much just a stream of consciousness.”
Running the account has pushed him to be more plugged in with what’s going on in local news, as well as wider political discussions. He credits part of his success to incorporating hyper-local elements into his posts. Memes about global events are common online, but memes specifically about life in Vancouver are more niche.
“Like Evos. Vancouver has … a lot of … local things that you don’t often see represented in media, especially entertainment media or comedy stuff.”
All these years later, he can still get anxious before hitting post — and he tries his best to keep the nervous thoughts at bay. He also hasn’t revealed his identity on a wider scale and wants to keep the page just him because it makes him feel more creatively connected.
SeaBus was honoured with a Power 50 award this month for his work as a content creator — a list he said he’s not quite sure he belongs on. Though he’s grateful for the mention.
“I think what they do is it’s mostly, like, actually powerful people. Actually important people. And then to like spice the list up a bit, they’ll have like one person like me who’s kind of like offbeat, doesn’t really mix with the rest. Which is great.”
@freshdailyvancouver The man, the myth, the meme maker. Vancouver’s iconic Seabus Memes sits with Daily Hive for an exclusive interview @seabusmemes đź‘€ #vancouver #vancouverbc #britishcolumbia #yvr #604 #vancity #richmondbc #kamloops #kelowna #Canada #seabusmemes ♬ Trap, hip hop, dark beat ♪(963369) – Ninja_Muzik_Tokyo
This or that?
Daily Hive asked the king of Vancouver Memes to play a game with us to learn more about his favourite local institutions.
SeaBus or SkyTrain?
Contrary to his name, the creator says SkyTrain is his pick because it can get you more places.
Earl’s or Cactus Club?
“Something about Cactus feels more sterile to me. They both feel pretty corporate, but Earl’s has more character.”
Lee’s Donuts or Cartems?
“I’ve been to Cartems. Cartems is good. I’m not a big sweet guy in general.”
Canucks or White Caps?
“Canucks, I guess.”
Seth Rogen or Ryan Reynolds?
“Seth Rogen, He’s probably got more movies that I’m a fan of.”
Ironworkers or Lions Gate?
“Ironworkers. It’s got more lanes.”
Drivers without winter tires or trucks getting caught in the overpass?
“Trucks hitting the overpass is so funny to me. It doesn’t feel real. Why does it keep happening?”