China teen takes city bus for 7-km joyride

A 14-year-old boy is serving a sentence for taking a city bus for a joyride in Hunan Province that ended when he injured a pedestrian.

Authorities in Xiangtan said the teen stole the parked Route 106 bus near the city’s railway station Saturday night.

The boy, who was not named because he is a juvenile, drove 7 kilometers before he was forced to stop after hitting a pedestrian. Luckily the victim suffered only minor head and back injuries.

The bus driver had left the bus unattended roadside after finishing a shift. He has since been fired for negligence.

The teen told police that he had located the parked bus using the city’s official transportation app.

He then flipped an emergency switch on the outside to open the door, found the keys and drove off.

When asked by a witness at the scene as he was taken into custody how he knew how to operate a city bus, the boy replied, “from watching other bus drivers,” video shows.

According to the boy’s mother, surnamed Shi, the teen is fascinated with vehicles and would read about them in his spare time. He had aspired to be a bus driver, Shi said.

The boy later told authorities he became familiar with how to operate the vehicle solely by observing the drivers on Route 106, which operated near his home.

The teen was charged with driving without a license and suspicion of vehicle theft.

He was fined 500 yuan ($78.24) and is serving 20 days in administrative detention.