Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
A 24-year-old guy was warned after he filmed himself climbing onto the back of a Grand River Transit bus in Cambridge, Ont., and riding up there for about seven minutes.
The video shows him at the Smart Centre Cambridge parking lot on Pinebush Road. You can see him walk up to the back of the bus, climb up, and then sit on top as it drives away. The bus moves through town while he shifts around on its roof. Other cars pass by as it travels down Hespeler Road.
The clip was posted on Instagram on April 12 and then appeared on You Tube the next day. It’s been shared across local Facebook groups and other social media platforms.
Const. Chris Iden, a public information officer with Waterloo Regional Police Service, told Cambridge Chronicle that police got calls about someone riding on top of a bus, and they found him “very quickly just based on people assisting us as well as Grand River Transit.”
Iden added that the man cooperated fully and said it “turned more into an educational piece more than anything.”
WATCH | Police warn man who filmed himself riding atop a transit bus: 
‘This is not a smart manoeuvre’: Police warn man who filmed himself riding atop a transit bus
In this video, you see a 24-year-old riding on top of a Grand River Transit bus in Cambridge. It was shared by user st0ned0g on You Tube and Instagram. Authorities say what he did is really unsafe.
There aren’t any criminal charges just for riding on the roof, though Iden pointed out not paying for your ride would be illegal and depending how things played out, there might be mischief charges.
The Highway Traffic Act has rules that could charge drivers if they don’t ensure passengers’ safety but Iden mentioned those wouldn’t apply here given what happened.
This same guy seems to have posted other videos showing him riding both buses and LRT trains from above to that Instagram account too.
The Region of Waterloo runs Grand River Transit; they told Cambridge Chronicle in an email they’re aware of these videos featuring the guy riding their vehicles.
“We urge the public to refrain from these activities as they pose significant safety risks,” spokesperson Lynsey Slupeiks said via email, adding anyone caught doing this could be banned from using transit services or property.
At the end of the day, Iden stressed that climbing onto buses or LRT roofs just isn’t safe at all.
“The one thing is really important to really emphasis on this is the safety impact of a stunt like this and how it can impact, not just the individual on top of the roof of the bus, but as well as those who are indirectly involved. That could be pedestrians who witness it, it could be the bus driver, god forbid if anything was to ever happen,” Iden said.
“That’s why we want to educate people that this is not a smart manoeuvre and to really just use common sense.”
