Toronto’s singing TTC bus driver has gone viral again for his latest remix, Canada Reviews

If you’ve ever been scrolling TikTok and come across a silky-smooth voice in a TTC uniform, singing everything from R&B hits to reimagined classics, chances are you’ve found Jon Pooley. Or perhaps you recognize him from Drake’s Instagram story, where he shared the TTC driver’s cover of his 2015 hit “Jungle.” Since fame found him in 2023, Pooley hasn’t stopped singing — and yet another one of his covers has gone viral again.

This weekend, Pooley posted a video of him singing a remix of Mario’s “You Should Let Me Love You” on an empty TTC bus, cheekily captioning it, “Really though — you should let me drive you.” The video quickly racked up almost 200,000 likes on Instagram and over 1 million views on TikTok, and has been shared over 100,000 times.

While his fans may hope to catch a live performance on the Dufferin bus route, Pooley’s serenades never happen on the clock. “I never sing when I’m on the job,” he says with a laugh. “I wait until I’m off shift, and there’s no one waiting for the bus. This is my way of decompressing after a long day.”

Pooley is no stranger to long days. After moving to Paris, Ontario, with his wife Heather and their three boys, he commutes over an hour each way to drive TTC buses in Toronto. But his journey to TikTok stardom began not in the driver’s seat, but during one of the most difficult times in his life.

Two years ago, Pooley hit rock bottom, dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts. At home, he was a devoted father and husband, but outside those roles, he felt lost.

“I didn’t know who I was,” he says. Pooley struggled to define himself, unsure of his identity beyond being a family man.

Music turned out to be his lifeline.

Pooley grew up in a musical household where creativity ran deep. His grandfather was a composer who taught Paul Shaffer, his father and uncles were musicians, and his mother and grandmother sang beautifully. Music was always part of his life.

In 2007, Pooley auditioned for Canadian Idol, making it to the top 16 before withdrawing due to overwhelming pressure.

“It just wasn’t my time,” he says. But the experience led to recognition and a chance to join a musical group that toured North America, opening for acts like the Plain White T’s and Rick Ross. When his girlfriend — now wife — became pregnant, Pooley set aside his dreams of stardom to build a stable life for his family.

His wife’s unwavering support became his foundation, especially when he opened up about his mental health struggles.

“For me, there was still such a stigma around mental health,” Pooley says. “I went to bed that night thinking my wife would leave me for being weak. But I woke up to this unbelievable support. Even now, I can’t believe it when she — and others — call me brave for sharing my struggles.”

With therapy and encouragement from his wife and friends, Pooley began singing again — not for an audience, but for himself. His therapist urged him to find joy in his routine, and one evening, while doing dishes with his kids around, he playfully sang Usher’s “Nice & Slow.”

“It’s 7 o’clock on the dot… at the bus stop, waiting to leave.” The line stuck with him, sparking an idea. After his shift the next day, he recorded a video of himself singing on an empty bus and shared it with friends and family. When he later uploaded it to TikTok, it went viral.

Since that first post, Pooley’s soulful covers and clever remixes have won him fans worldwide — including Drake. 

“I couldn’t believe it,” Pooley says. “When Drake reposted me, it was surreal. My family and I are huge fans. My eldest even has his poster on his wall.”

The experience also scored Pooley and his family tickets to a Drake concert.

For Pooley, the recognition is more than a brush with fame — it’s about connection. He recalls a teenage boy on his bus route shyly pulling up one of Pooley’s TikToks on his phone.

“He asked, ‘Is this you?’ and his face just lit up,” Pooley says. “In that moment, I realized I was creating moments like that in my community. That’s the best part of this.”

Fame came quickly, but Pooley remains humble.

“At first, I’d get stopped maybe once every couple of weeks,” he says. “Now, it’s every day. Fellow TTC workers tell me, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’ It’s amazing because I’m not just singing — I’m inspiring people to follow their passions.”

Despite his growing platform, Pooley is still just Dad at home, pausing even during this interview to tend to his kids. And on the job, he’s the same TTC driver, clocking in and out like everyone else.

Next time you see a viral video of Pooley singing his heart out on an empty TTC bus (insider tip: it just might be Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”), know that it’s more than a performance.