A Colombian nurse has turned an extraordinary love story into a campaign to save the public transport route she considers the 'love of her life'—after staging a symbolic wedding with a Bogotá bus, getting its route tattooed on her body and taking a night-cleaning job to stay close to the fleet.
Yeline Lizbeth Patiño, 35, says her relationship is not with one particular vehicle, but with the A60/F60 TransMilenio service in Bogotá. She has a symbolic certificate, a wedding ring and a tattoo depicting an articulated bus marked 'F60 Portal Américas'. Now she fears changes to the capital's transport network could eventually put the route at risk.
From Childhood Fascination to Route 60
Patiño, a nurse and singer originally from Pasto, says her fascination with buses began when she was around 10 years old, when she became emotionally attached to an intercity bus operating between San Pablo and Pasto.
Her fascination later returned when she saw TransMilenio buses on television. She says she first encountered Route 60 in 2022, when she travelled to Bogotá, and describes the experience as a moment when she realised her feelings for the buses were genuine.
By 2023, she had moved to the Colombian capital and become particularly attached to the A60/F60 service.
The route is operated by articulated TransMilenio buses. F60 operates towards Portal Américas, while A60 is used in the opposite direction. For Patiño, however, the attraction is not simply about the vehicle itself.
She has explained that any articulated bus displaying the 60 route becomes part of the relationship. The illuminated number is just as important to her as the bus' shape, colour and materials.
The Symbolic Wedding
Patiño eventually decided to formalise her feelings with a private, symbolic wedding in October 2024.
The ceremony included a white dress, cake, a pearl ring and a small gathering of friends and relatives. She has said she possesses a document that 'certifies' the union, although the ceremony is not a legally recognised marriage between a person and a vehicle.
The relationship later became increasingly public.
In October 2025, Patiño marked the anniversary of the symbolic wedding with another celebration, including a ride on the route and a renewal of her vows. Colombian media reported that she has continued to describe the A60/F60 service as her partner rather than identifying a single physical bus.
Her devotion has now been permanently marked on her body.
The Tattoo and Her Unusual Night Job
In 2026, Patiño revealed a large tattoo dedicated to the route. The design shows the front of an articulated TransMilenio bus, the words 'F60 Portal Américas' and Bogotá's cathedral in the background.
She shared the tattoo publicly under her online identity, 'Yeliths de Milenio 60', describing the route as the great love of her life. The design has since attracted widespread attention on Colombian social media.
But her connection with the buses goes beyond ceremonies and tattoos.
Patiño has taken work as a night cleaner at a bus depot, allowing her to wash the fleet while remaining close to the vehicles when they are off the road. She has described the job as something that makes her happy because it allows her to be near the buses she loves.
Why She Fears Losing Route 60
The unusual relationship has now become a public campaign.
Patiño says she decided to reveal her symbolic marriage because she is frightened that Route 60 could eventually be discontinued as Bogotá develops its metro network and changes its transport services.
She has claimed that the route could disappear within the next two years, but this is her concern rather than a confirmed cancellation announced by TransMilenio. Recent reporting notes that there has been no official announcement confirming that Route 60 will be removed.
That uncertainty is what has transformed her personal story into an advocacy campaign.
Patiño says she wants supporters to help preserve the identity of Route 60, whether through signatures, public events, petitions or other forms of campaigning. She has also appealed to people who identify as mechanophiles or objectophiles, as well as international organisations, for support.
A Love Story Built Around One Number
Patiño describes her attraction to machines as mechanophilia and says she has previously dated men and still likes them. Her attachment to Route 60, however, remains at the centre of her public life.
What began as a private symbolic ceremony has now become something much larger: a campaign to keep a bus route alive.
For most passengers, 60 is simply a number on an electronic display. For Patiño, it represents a childhood fascination, a symbolic wedding, a tattoo, a job and what she calls the greatest love of her life.
And that is why she says she is determined to keep Route 60 on Bogotá's streets for as long as possible.
