Fern Park, Fla. – A 15-year- old boy stole a bus, drove it along a public-transit route, picked up passengers and collected fares, authorities said Sunday.
The teenager took the bus Saturday from the Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando, where it was parked awaiting sale at an auction, a Seminole County sheriff’s report said. The bus belongs to the Central Florida Transportation Agency, which runs Lynx public-transit services in the Orlando area.
“I drove that bus better than most of the Lynx drivers could,” the teen, who is too young to drive legally, told a deputy after he was stopped and arrested. “There isn’t a scratch on it. I know how to start it, drive it, lower it, raise it.”
The teen had previously been charged for a similar bus theft. Details of that case were unavailable Sunday.
Passengers and deputies noted that the teen drove the bus at normal speeds and made all the appropriate stops on the route. One passenger, suspicious of the youthful looks of the driver, called 911.
The bus had two passengers when deputies stopped it in Fern Park, about 12 miles north of the fairgrounds. Authorities believe the teenager picked up three passengers and collected only a few dollars.
He was charged with grand theft auto and driving without a license.
A court hearing was scheduled for Tuesday to determine whether he will be charged as an adult.
