Man who filmed himself riding atop Grand River Transit bus warned by police over safety concerns

A 24-year-old man has been given a warning after filming himself climbing up the back of a Grand River Transit bus in Cambridge, Ont., and riding it for seven minutes.

In the video, the man is in the parking lot of the SmartCentre Cambridge on Pinebush Road. It shows him walking up to the back of the bus and climbing up the back to sit on the top of the bus as it pulls away. The bus then travels through the city and the man appears to move around on the top of the bus. Other vehicles pass by the bus as it travels down Hespeler Road.

The video was posted to Instagram on April 12 and on YouTube on April 13. It has been shared in local Facebook groups and other social media sites.

Const. Chris Iden, a public information officer with Waterloo Regional Police Service, told CBC News officers received calls about a man on top of the bus and they located him "very quickly just based on people assisting us as well as Grand River Transit."

Iden said the man was co-operative with police and it "turned more into an educational piece more than anything."

There's no criminal charge for riding a bus on the roof for the rider, although Iden noted not paying the bus fare would be an offence and, depending on circumstances, there could be grounds for mischief.

There are laws under the Highway Traffic Act that would charge the bus driver for not making sure a rider is being safe, but Iden noted given the circumstances, that wouldn't apply in this case.

The same man appears to have posted videos of him riding on top of the bus, as well as on top of the LRT, to the same Instagram account. 

The Region of Waterloo, which operates Grand River Transit, said in an emailed statement to CBC News that they are aware of the various incidents of the man riding on GRT vehicles.

"We urge the public to refrain from these activities as they pose significant safety risks," spokesperson Lynsey Slupeiks said in the email, adding anyone caught riding atop a GRT bus may be banned from accessing transit services and properties.

Ultimately, Iden said, what it comes down to is riding on top of a bus or the LRT is just not safe.

"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."