Canadian man steals bus, still makes stops for passengers to get on and off

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A man in Canada was arrested for stealing a bus, but instead of abandoning it, he actually continued driving the regular route! He even went so far as to deny boarding to a passenger whose transit pass had expired.

Hamilton Police reported a strange incident that happened around 9 p.m. on November 11th. A man reportedly entered an empty HSR bus at the McNab Bus Terminal while the driver was on a break. Surprisingly, instead of speeding off, he began driving the bus up the Hamilton Mountain, acting like a regular driver and even making scheduled stops with passengers still on board – essentially turning the situation into a real-life bus driving experience.

Police say the 36-year-old man, who is currently homeless, was letting people on and off the bus without restriction and was even checking fares. Officers reported he wouldn’t even let someone ride who had an out-of-date bus pass.

At first, passengers on the high-speed rail line didn’t notice anything unusual. According to police spokesperson Trevor McKenna, the driver operated the train normally, stayed on the correct path, and typically had around ten people on board at a time.

McKenna said the bus ride was remarkably smooth – there wasn’t a single bump or issue. He praised the driver, noting the situation was both funny and concerning. Thankfully, everyone was safe and unharmed.

Man charged after stealing bus and doing driver’s job for him

People on board only noticed something was wrong when the driver started taking incorrect turns. One passenger even offered to help with directions to get them back on the right path.

Officers discreetly followed the bus using GPS information from the Hamilton Street Railway, deliberately avoiding sirens so as not to alarm the suspect. “Our goal was to avoid escalating the situation and prevent a tragic outcome,” McKenna explained.

Around fifteen minutes into the ride, officers stopped the bus on West 5th Street and took the man into custody without any problems.

He is now accused of several crimes, including stealing property worth more than $5,000, having stolen property worth over $5,000, hindering the police, and driving even though he was not allowed to.

This unusual incident happened shortly after a man in Ireland took a bus and drove it about 150 miles to Dublin because his original transportation was overcrowded, making it a strange week for people driving buses without permission.

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2025-11-13 19:18