‘Wheely’ good fun: Bus crazy Limerick boy goes global on TikTok

‘Where are the keys?' asks Jack O’Neill in one of his beloved buses

placeholder image — ‘Where are the keys?' asks Jack O’Neill in one of his beloved buses

Two-year-old Jack got his own personal tour of the fleet in Colbert Station

JACK O’Neill turns three in November but he already got the best present ever - a trip to Colbert Station to see all the buses parked up.

The son of Thomas and Joanne O’Neill, from Thomondgate, is fascinated with buses and gives every one that passes him a big wave.

Jack now has a global following after his dad started a TikTok account called Jack loves the buses. One video of Limerick bus driver Rob Hehir sitting Jack up on his knee behind the steering wheel has got over 41,000 views.

Thomas said it all started late last year when they were on one of their regular evening walks around the city.

“Every time a bus would go past, Jack would say, ‘Look, look, it’s a bus’. From then on he just started waving at buses and the bus drivers. I said I must get this on camera as it’s very funny. He loves them.

“He loves double decker ones - he calls them the big buses. If he sees one of the private company buses he calls them baby buses,” smiled Thomas.

He thinks the innocence of Jack’s hobby is what resonates with so many online.

“I only started on Tik Tok at the end of August. It’s gone mad. He got a lot of followers in a short amount of time. A lot of local people have seen it and when they meet Jack they ask him did he see any buses today. They all follow him. I got a message from a woman in Malawi of all places who said she was Jack’s biggest fan,” said Thomas.

The proud dad said if Jack is not waving at buses in town, he’s at home watching videos of buses on You Tube.

Jack thought things couldn’t get any better after his own special visit with Rob but then the bus driver invited him to Colbert Station to see all the buses parked up.

“Jack had free rein of a few buses. He was even too giddy to stand for pics with Rob or me,” laughed Thomas.

A Dublin Bus employee has also been in touch and invited the family to Busáras the next time they are up in the capital.

It will be no surprise that Jack will be asking Santa Claus for a new toy bus to go with the ones he already has.

Thomas has been helping Santa and the elves in the North Pole.

“I can't find a bus that is bigger than a small six inch one. There is nothing online. It is all cars and tractors.

“I got onto Bus Eireann and I asked do they sell toys, that my son is obsessed with buses but they said they don't do any merchandise.

“I've looked online and searched everywhere and all I can find is small buses. He loves them but I'd love to get a bigger one for him to play with,” said Thomas.

In the meantime, Jack will continue to wave at buses and bring smiles to people around the world on social media.

And who knows, in about two decades time he could be driving one himself!