Cheeky 'butt-clenching' poster to deter pole-hoggers on Bangkok BTS train goes viral

One shouldn't lean on poles on trains, much less envelope them in their butt cheeks.

That's the message that the operator of Bangkok's BTS SkyTrain service seems to have gone for in their latest poster promoting proper commuter etiquette.

The illustration basically shows a shadowy figure of a man leaning his entire body against a grab pole, leaving a fellow passenger high and dry.

The text and caption of the poster advised commuters to be civic-minded when on board public transport and not to hog the grab poles.

What's most eye-grabbing about the image, however, is how the illustrator seemed to have made special effort in depicting the pole firmly wedged in the naked figure's perky posterior.

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The cheeky drawing, which was posted BTS SkyTrain's Facebook page on Monday (July 4), drew close to 900 comments and more than 6,000 responses.

Among them was this top comment, "Does it have to be that tightly clenched?"

"Please do not twerk on the BTS SkyTrain," wrote another netizen. 

While many responded to the poster with jokes and laughter, some, however, stated that the illustration is no exaggeration, claiming to have witnessed similar acts with their own eyes.

Some of them have even taken it up a notch.

Wrote one commenter: "Yes, it happened to me. I was standing on the train when a foreign lady came and used her boobs to grab the pole, which also grabbed onto my hand. I had to tell her, 'Sorry ma'am, could you please move your chest out of my hands,' after which she looked at me as if I was being weird."

This is the latest in a series of rib-tickling posters put out by the public transport service provider on seemingly commonsensical behaviour.

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Earlier in June, BTS SkyTrain launched a 'mind your hair' campaign which warned commuters with long hair not to fling their hair about on the train, lest it gets into the eyes or faces of nearby passengers.

According to Bangkok Post, the skytrain operator said the poster was in response to numerous complaints left in the inbox of its Facebook account.

The report also noted that instructions on BTS SkyTrain's Facebook page requested that one should "firmly hold the end of your long hair when you turn your face, walk past other passengers and enter or leave the train".

candicecai@asiaone.com