Thief jumps aboard empty city bus, takes 15-km joyride

As its driver grabbed a cup of coffee, a Calgary transit bus was stolen, taken for a joyride and ditched in the city ’s southeast early Thursday.

Just before 5 a.m., an empty Calgary Transit shuttle bus was parked outside a 7-Eleven at the corner of 39th Avenue and Macleod Trail S.E., when it was stolen and taken on a 15-kilometre trip.

Using GPS technology to locate the bus, Calgary police followed it in a marked car.

A police spokesman said the driver refused to pull over but followed the rules of the road, stopping at lights and driving at a safe speed, including for a time on Deerfoot Trail.

The bus was eventually dumped in an industrial area off Deerfoot Trail near 114th Avenue and 35th Street S.E. The thief was able to evade police.

“We waited for the safest opportunity, especially with GPS, which is when the driver walked away, to recover the vehicle and hopefully we can find the driver at a later time,” said the police spokesman.

Calgary Transit says it’s routine for bus operators to take a break during their shift, which can include stopping at convenience stores. The bus was labelled as being out of service, and the passenger doors were closed.

Calgary Transit buses have GPS technology so people can receive real-time bus information through the Calgary Transit app, which is how police were able to track the location of the stolen bus.

Police will look at video footage to identify a suspect. They will also be looking into whether the bus was left idling.