Bemi Orojuogun, a 56-year-old mental health nurse from Nigeria, has become an unlikely TikTok sensation known as 'Bus Aunty'. Her short videos celebrating London's red double-decker buses have amassed millions of views, with her most popular clip reaching 48.1 million views.
Orojuogun began posting videos last year, inspired by her long-standing love for London's red buses, which she first encountered when she moved to the UK in the early 1990s. Her videos feature her standing at landmarks like Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus as buses pass by, often without speaking but beaming at the camera.
The popularity of her content has led to advertising deals with Transport for London, Ikea, and Burberry. Despite her success, Orojuogun remains focused on her original motivation: encouraging appreciation for bus drivers. She has befriended several drivers and even had lunch with them, using her platform to urge the public to value their work.
'We need to appreciate those bus drivers,' she said, recalling the many who died during the pandemic. 'There's nothing wrong with saying good morning, good afternoon, or thank you when you get out of the bus.'
