Man allegedly steals TransLink bus while driver takes bathroom break

A man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a TransLink bus and taking it on a joyride overnight in Surrey.

Metro Vancouver Transit Police Sgt. Clint Hampton said the N19 bus was stopped at Surrey Central Station, where the driver was reportedly taking a washroom break when the vehicle was taken at around 2 a.m. Thursday.

There were no passengers on the bus, but the engine was running at the time, he said.

“When the bus operator came out, the bus was gone,” said Hampton.

“You have somebody that, as far as I’m aware, isn’t familiar with operating a bus and drove it for a period of time. So we’re lucky that nobody was injured.”

Transit police and the Surrey RCMP used GPS to track the bus down and arrested the 28-year-old suspect at Fraser Highway and 176th Street.

Police are recommending a charge of theft over $5,000.

TransLink says all drivers are trained to turn off engines before leaving any vehicle unattended, and that it is reviewing the incident.

1:22 TTC bus stolen from Scarborough garage recovered in Whitby