Inspirational messages make Niagara-Burlington bus driver a TikTok sensation

A GO bus driver who regularly works a Niagara-Burlington route has captured the hearts of commuters because of his upbeat attitude and inspirational messages.

Fans of Casimir D’Souza say the driver makes it a pleasure to travel on his route 12 bus because he always has a smile on his face and a kind word to offer.

An initial TikTok post about D’Souza earlier this month has since gone viral with 600,000 views with more users now posting their appreciation for D’Souza who has turned a one-hour trek for the weary along the QEW into a captivating journey to start or end the day.

“I love him,” said one TikTok user. “I know my travel time will be that much more enjoyable if he is behind the wheel.”

Travellers have captured D’Souza’s calming and reassuring messages on several videos.

“I’ll take a moment here to thank each and every one of you for riding the GO,” he says over the bus speaker. “It is truly my pleasure serving all you wonderful passengers on this ride today. And I would like to wish each and every one of you, and also your loved ones and family. lots of goodness and lots of joy, happiness, peace, and lots of good health.”

While the messages are simple, commentators say they are heartfelt, and resonate because of the tone of his voice that makes his gentleness shine through.

“Here’s this dude who drives the same route every day over and over yet he goes out of his way to make everyone else comfortable and happy. You gotta love him,” commented another regular rider.

D’Souza’s popularity is not lost on his employers, Metrolinx, which has stated they are proud to have him on staff.

“How can we not be proud?” a Metrolinx spokesperson said. “He makes everyone happy.”

In his own TikTok video, D’Souza encourages everyone to hop on his bus whenever they can.

“Hi there,” he says. “I drive route 12 Burlington to Niagara and Niagara to Burlington on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and on the weekends. I look forward to seeing you on my bus. Give me a shout so that I know that it’s you.”

@travisjameshTaking the time to share this with everyone when he could have just been driving us in silence is what made this so meaningful I think. Also, he pointed out some points of interest while driving. He also waited for us (this was our transfer) and helped us movemour liggage from our previous bus to this one 😊♬ what was I made for? – Instrumental – Wheeler