Woman honours bus driver who has considered her 'family' since she was 17, invites him to her wedding

SINGAPORE: The strong bond a woman formed with the bus driver she has been riding her teens is celebrated in a TikTok video that’s gone viral.

Since the woman is getting married and moving away soon, she’ll no longer be riding Bus 179 regularly. So, she took the time to honour the bus driver and his impact on her life.

https://www.tiktok.com/@rynsieeees/video/7480590536361921810

Twenty-five-year-old Rini Rindiani, an interior designer, posted her video on Wednesday (March 13), and it has already garnered over 151,000 views. She also told Mustsharenews that she has invited the bus driver to her wedding.

The video shows Ms Rindiani waving at “Uncle Rama” as Bus 179 drives away, and she can be heard chuckling softly amid tender background music. The two also smile fondly side by side in the video, with Uncle Rama holding one thumb up in approval.

“I never knew how much someone I met outside could leave this huge impact in my life,” Ms Rindiani wrote in the caption, adding that she started taking Bus 179 at the age of 17 when she began a part-time job. Uncle Rama would always give her snacks such as karipaps and murukku after school as she was on her way to her shifts.

During her years at polytechnic, Uncle Rama would anticipate when she was on her way home from dance practice, taking the last bus at 12.30 am. He would wait just a little while in case she was running down the stairs to catch the bus.

As an adult, on her way home, she would catch his bus at 9 pm. She would then give him something to eat so he would have a snack as well.

Ms Rindiani wrote, “Today, it hits me like a truck because our conversation was about me getting married in a few months and I’ll be shifting elsewhere and that means I wont get to take his bus back anymore.”

Uncle Rama reassured her that it was going to be all right since they had each other’s numbers and that his wife could easily contact her.

Heartwarmingly, he added, “We’re family, remember?” and then went on to recall first seeing her when she was still a schoolgirl, and now she’s grown up to be a beautiful young woman who’ll be getting married soon.

In response, Ms Rindiani wrote, “Uncle Rama, you have left such a deep impact in my life! Thank you for being so genuine & being such a wonderful person who saw me grow. Thank you for making my bus ride back manageable and making my day better.”

The heartwarming story gained attention, and many shared their admiration for the special bond between the bride and the bus driver. "These are the stories that we need. How people step up in a community. It takes a village to raise a child, and he (has been) your village since you were young. Kudos Uncloe Rama!" one commenter wrote. Another recalled their own experience with the kind-hearted driver: "I know this driver. Always so nice and (waits) for me if he sees me. Once I was feeling ill and wanted to throw up, he drove slowly and carefully so that I didn't feel bad standing in the crowded bus." Calls for recognition grew as another added, "Uncle deserves an award!" /TISG Read also: SBS bus captain praised for returning lost backpack containing S$14K