A Hamilton man took a city bus for a joy ride
All passengers got home safely, eventually
A Hamilton man decided to play the role of city bus driver last night.
When the real driver—the one actually employed to drive the bus—pulled over for a short break, a passerby seized his opportunity, hopping in and joy riding through the city with passengers on board.
Fortunately there were no injuries, and the 36-year-old man was taken into police custody without incident, according to a statement issued by the Hamilton Police Service.
According to police, the suspect made multiple stops, as a real bus driver would, and allowed passengers to get on and off. He seems to have diligently checked riders’ bus passes, even denying someone who attempted to board with an expired pass.
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He’s been charged with theft over $5,000, possession over $5,000, obstructing police and driving while prohibited.
We won’t laugh at what sounds like the plot of a comedy sketch, because people may have been scared, and could have been hurt. But we will tip our hats to the undeterred efficiency of Hamilton’s transit system—we can only dream—even when operated by an imposter who should absolutely not be behind the wheel.
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
