To many, the UCF shuttle buses are transportation. To Magaly Ferreira and Robério Fonseca, it’s an extension of their relationship as husband and wife. This package aired in the Feb. 13 newscast.
Orion Boone
To many, the UCF shuttle buses are transportation. To Magaly Ferreira and Robério Fonseca, it’s an extension of their relationship as husband and wife.
Fonseca drives a shuttle on Route 8, while Ferreira drives on Route 5. They met at their church almost 15 years ago while working on a Christmas play. Six months later, they were married.
Robério Fonseca and Magaly Ferreira kiss at their wedding ceremony at the Catholic Church of the Resurrection on July 2, 2023. The couple held the ceremony a decade after their courthouse wedding.
Courtesy of Magaly Ferreira
“We just woke up one day, and I said, ‘I want to marry you,’” Fonseca said. “She got excited, like, ‘Wow, let’s plan this!’ and I was like, ‘No, no, no, I want to marry you today, at the court, now.’”
After they got married, they started a successful business that focused on gluten-free tapioca flour. The two continued running the business together for a decade until the COVID-19 pandemic.
“But around COVID, the time changed for everything, for everybody. We decided to close the business,” Ferreira said. “We were very tired, and he went back to the bus.”
Magaly Ferreira and Robério Fonseca show off their Tapioca Flour at the Brazilian Business Community of Florida in Orlando. In addition to flour, they developed gluten-free products, including waffle mixes and lasagnas.
Courtesy of Magaly Ferreira
Fonseca had worked as a bus driver before the couple started their business. After it closed, Ferreira took an office job that often left her exhausted each night. Eventually, Fonseca grew tired of seeing her so stressed.
“She didn’t have a CDL, and I said, ‘Go take the class, get your driver’s license and come to work with me. This is the place we have to be,’” Fonseca said. “We’re together. We have the same schedule, use the same vacation, everything is the same. It’s easier to manage.”
Shuttle Driver Robério Fonseca drives up to the Research 1 Loop shuttle stop on Tuesday morning. “I love being around students,” Fonseca said.
Orion Boone
The two arrive at work together on weekday mornings, stopping at the same stop and waving to each other each time their buses cross paths.
“Magaly is everything, she’s everything for me,” Fonseca said.