A man in Hamilton stole an idling city bus and took passengers on a nighttime ride through the city, making stops and allowing riders to board and exit. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. on Tuesday when the driver stepped out for a brief break. According to police, the man climbed into the bus at the McNab Street Bus Terminal, which was located in downtown Hamilton. With approximately 10 passengers on board, he drove the bus onto the snowy streets of the city. Hamilton Police received an alert from the Hamilton Street Railway, the city’s transit operator, and responded quickly. However, officers chose to follow the bus discreetly for safety reasons. Constable Trevor McKenna explained, "We typically would pursue something like this, but because of this situation, for safety purposes, we strategically followed, which means that there were no lights or sirens. We kept our distance and we just kind of monitored where they were going." The police were concerned about the safety of the passengers and pedestrians, especially given the dark and wintry conditions. The bus was equipped with GPS, allowing officials to track its location. Surprisingly, the man did not drive recklessly. For several minutes, he followed traffic rules, making scheduled stops and allowing passengers to board and exit. McKenna noted, "He was following the rules of the road. He was making the scheduled stops along the way and letting people come and go. It’s not like he was threatening in nature or holding them there." As the bus began to deviate from its designated route, some passengers became aware of the situation and started conversing with the driver. One witness reported that they were giving him directions. At one point, the driver even charged a passenger with an expired Presto card, requiring them to pay cash to board. After about 15 minutes, police moved in on West 5th Street near Gateview Drive. Officers confronted the man and instructed him to exit the vehicle, but he refused. Consequently, police had to physically remove him from the bus. The suspect, a 36-year-old man without a fixed address, was arrested and charged with theft, possession of stolen property, obstructing police, and driving while prohibited. He was not wearing a Hamilton Street Railway uniform, and authorities are unsure if he had any prior driving experience. McKenna stated, "Ultimately, there were no collisions, there were no injuries, not even a dent." The motive behind the joyride remains unclear. McKenna remarked, "It comes across as more of like a joyride. He got on, whether he was under the influence of a drug or if it’s mental health, that I can’t answer, but it’s not like he was trying to impress anyone or filming himself or had somewhere to be. He just kind of took it for a joyride and ended in that location, and that’s where he was arrested. Sometimes things happen with no rhyme or reason."