Bus driver filmed passenger who always brought roses for the ‘sad’ — and then something unexpected happened

A Brazilian bus driver filming his daily routes never expected that a passenger with a kind smile and a gift of chocolate would become the most important part of his life. In a series of videos posted by tata_Masterdriver (@o_tata29) on TikTok and later compiled into a full timeline by Redditor u/PradipJayakumar, viewers follow a love story that began with small talk, bloomed with a rose, and ended in a promise ring.

Their first exchange was brief. The caption on the clip read, "Hey, no matter what your job is... Make friends for life. Respect every situation and you'll see that everything is a reflection of your attitude." One morning, he gave her chocolate, saying, "Just make someone smile, don't wait for the dates." Another day, she handed him chocolate, saying, "I brought you some chocolate to sweeten your day." That small moment stayed with him, enough that he started recording each time she returned. The girl started boarding his bus more frequently, with them constantly exchanging gifts. When he wished her a happy birthday, she casually mentioned, "My birthday was yesterday."

He gave her a rose, explaining in the text overlay, "She got a rose on the bus, for those who were sad. The rose brought out smiles." From that point on, their relationship bloomed, and his videos of her became more frequent. He called her "the sweetest and most charismatic passenger in Brazil" and asked, "Does anyone know her or has anyone seen her?" As days passed, they grew closer. "Is it possible to meet someone who makes you smile? On a bus, plane, or subway? Yes, life has these things. She is an angel." 

Eventually, they were no longer sharing just glances and gifts; they were walking together in public, appearing in each other's lives beyond the bus route. One overlay read, "Loved by God and together," while another said, "She thought I was amazing." But things weren’t always easy. At one point, she appeared seated at a clinic with an IV plugged into her arm. He stayed with her until the treatment was done, filming himself beside her, saying, "I love it when I see her smile." The video segued into a beautiful moment as he gave his now-girlfriend a promise ring, marking how far they had come.

This kind of connection is rare yet meaningful. A classic 1950 study by social psychologists Festinger, Schachter, and Back found that people are far more likely to build relationships with those they encounter naturally and repeatedly in everyday spaces. Known as the "propinquity effect," the findings showed that something as simple as physical proximity can significantly increase the chance of a meaningful bond forming.

The full compilation sparked a whopping 126,000 upvotes and thousands of comments on Reddit, which admired the way the relationship had built itself. u/Major_Wager75 wrote, "At one point during all of this, they were each other's reason to look forward to the next day." u/deFleury shared, "We knew a couple like that and they named the dog after the bus route where they fell in love!" u/Omg! commented, "That's like my parents' story. My father was driving the bus that took my mum to work. So cute :)" u/Kwiks1lver added, "If he can pull while wearing his sunglasses like that, you've got no excuses." 

You can follow tata_Masterdriver (@o_tata29) on TikTok for more of the couple's content.