'They were clapping for me:' Train employee lets seven-year-old transit enthusiast announce next stop north of Toronto

Seven-year-old Nicco Di Mauro’s love of public transit reached a new level last weekend when a Metrolinx employee handed him the microphone on a GO train and let the young commuter make an announcement to his fellow passengers.

A video of the announcement, which was recorded by Nicco’s mom Terri, is now circulating widely online.

“Nicco was telling people on the train car that they should only press the yellow button in the case of emergency,” Terri said in an interview with CP24 on Thursday.

“He was sharing facts and different stops and kind of our route and the (customer service associate)… he just noticed how excited Nicco was and offered him the mic.”

She said Nicco, confident in his transit knowledge, jumped at the opportunity to inform passengers about the next stop.

“I felt awesome,” Nicco told CP24 Breakfast on Thursday morning. “They were clapping for me.”

Terri said her son first took an interest in transit when a new bus route began to stop directly in front of a playground they frequent in their North York neighbourhood.

The seven-year-old transit enthusiast, who can recite the order of all of the TTC’s subway stops from memory, is now responsible for planning his family’s routes via transit.

“I go to Google Maps,” Nicco said.

He told CP24 that when he grows up, he would like a career in transit.