“You should let me drive you, let me be the one to, take you to the place you need to be,” expertly croons uniformed Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus driver Jon Pooley, as the instrumentals to Mario’s “You Should Let Me Love You” fill an empty TTC bus behind him. This is Pooley’s latest “Bus Driver Remix,” and it spent the weekend going viral, once again shining the spotlight on the talented transit employee. You don’t have to be a TTC rider to know Pooley; he’s become a beloved social media staple in recent years. He is celebrated for his incredible covers and remixes of favourites we all know and love – from nostalgic 90s R&B staples to recent pop hits – all filmed after his shift on an empty TTC bus and shared on social media. It’s the type of feel-good content you watch more than once and has even caught the attention of homegrown superstar Drake.
“I told her I was having feelings of no longer living and she convinced me to go talk to somebody about it…”
Jon Pooley
Pooley’s content is both lifting spirits and inspiring important conversations surrounding mental health. Showcasing his talents via his TTC job began when Pooley, a father of three, found himself in a low point mental health-wise, something that resulted in a six-month leave from work. “I wasn’t feeling normal, and one day, I decided to tell my wife about it,” shares Pooley. “I told her I was having feelings of no longer living and she convinced me to go talk to somebody about it. Through the therapy, I learned coping mechanisms and all sorts of different things. My therapist suggested I find something that makes me happy, something specific to me that brings me joy, and try to incorporate it into my everyday life.”
Growing up in a musical home, Pooley has a lifelong passion for singing – he was even a contestant on Canadian Idol in 2007. Turning to it as this source of joy was a natural choice. “After returning to work after my break, I knew I had to do something different; otherwise, I would be right back where I started,” says Pooley. So, while washing dishes after his first day back on the job, Pooley wrote his first Bus Driver Remix to Usher’s “Nice and Slow” and recorded it a cappella on a TTC bus the next day.
ADVERTISEMENT |
“It’s seven o’clock, on the dot, I’m at the bus stop ready to leave,” sings Pooley in the video. “I got some real pretty, pretty bus riders that’s waiting for me. I pull up, anticipating, three bucks – don’t keep me waiting. I got plans to drop you off in places you need to be, are you rolling with me?”
At first, Pooley only shared the video on a private account for family and close friends to see. “My friends and my family seemed to like it, then my coworkers did too, so I threw it up on TiktoK,” says Pooley. “People enjoyed it and I really like creating something that’s also bringing me joy. So, I just started creating more and people started enjoying them more, and it all sort of snowballed from there.” This saw Pooley cover songs like Neyo’s “So Sick,” Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” and a handful of Drake hits, including “Jungle,” which resulted in a reshare from the music sensation. Pooley has also cleverly remixed everything from Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road” and Ginuwine’s “Pony,” to Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” – giving them bus driver spins.
Last month, Pooley decided to re-record the “Nice and Slow” remix – this time, with the addition of music and “a little more confidence in terms of singing and mannerisms,” he says. Showcasing his buttery smooth voice, this second version really took social media by storm, with almost 70K shares at time of writing. The red-hot “You Should Let Me Love You” remix came just weeks later on January 11. That one has currently been shared 91.2K times on Instagram – and counting.
When it comes to his creative process, Pooley says that each song begins with a line and expands from there. “It’s very mental; I’ll be driving and something will happen or something will just pop into my head briefly and it will stick there,” says Pooley. “I’ll write it down. I start with the one line and build around it.”
ADVERTISEMENT |
Aside from using his talent to spread feel-good vibes – and undoubtedly inspiring more people to take the TTC in the process – Pooley says that sharing his story has influenced others to share their own mental health stories. “I have hundreds of DMs from people who have read my story and then, you know, they tell me about their story,” says Pooley. “Maybe there’s somebody within their inner circle, family, or coworkers who are dealing with the same stuff. Some have loved ones who work in different transit industries in other cities like New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. In just talking about it, you realize how many other people have felt or are feeling the same way.”
Pooley credits his wife and children for helping him push through the dark times. “I owe a lot to my wife for convincing me that it’s not weak or bad to go to therapy,” says Pooley. “And my kids, unbeknownst to them, were keeping me alive and pushing forward. It’s wild that it’s a parent’s job to protect them and keep them alive – but sometimes it’s them who do that for you.”
Through his music, he’s found another layer of joy. Pooley’s videos have no shortage of social media users praising his talents, saying that he’s in the wrong profession. “Give this man a record,” wrote one user on the “You Should Let Me Drive You” video. “He needs to be on a stage and not driving a bus,” wrote another. More than one user suggested he should lend his voice to TTC ads. “I really didn’t think it would generate that much of a response,” admits Pooley. “And people are paying me the most amazing compliments I’ve ever experienced outside of my own family and friends.”
As for quitting his day job, Pooley says it’s not in the cards at the moment. After all, the reason he put his music career on hold in the first place was to provide for his family. That’s still his priority. Still, he hasn’t ruled out taking his singing to new heights, should the opportunity arise. He gets choked up by the prospect of being asked what he’ll do when the music execs come knocking.
“But if Drake said, ‘Can I sign you?,’ then my wife would be like, ‘No questions asked…’”
Jon Pooley
“I’m enjoying what’s happening right now,” he says. “If that were to ever happen, it would have to be a family decision – but I know my kids would say to take it. It’s surreal that that would be a possibility at this age and stage in my life. I can’t think too much about it, because I find that’s when some of those other emotions and insecurities that you work so hard to overcome kind of come back again. But if Drake said, ‘Can I sign you?,’ then my wife would be like, ‘No questions asked; you sign right now.’”
ADVERTISEMENT |
In the meantime, Pooley says he’s enjoying hitting milestones and creating memories through his music for his children. “I hope my kids will one day show their own kids,” he says.
