A city-wide manhunt is underway for the driver of a 412 Sydney bus who has been arriving at stops nearly a dozen minutes ahead of schedule.
NSW Police began the search at 6:00pm today after repeated triple-zero calls claimed that the bus was dangerously out of control.
There have been previous incidents of felons running five or even six minutes ahead of schedule but until now double digits were unheard of.
“This sort of situation is completely unacceptable,” said NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione. “This driver’s acts are depraved, irresponsible, and without empathy. We are doing our best to bring him to justice.”
Police initially used special software known as ‘TripView’ to determine the renegade driver’s route and attempted to intercept him at Central Station.
“Unfortunately, the suspect was even further ahead of schedule at that point so officers arrived too late to apprehend him,” said Constable Byron Lee who is spearheading the search.
In the hours since the chase began, numerous sydneysiders have come forward to allege that this isn’t the first time such an incident has occurred with a Sydney bus driver.
The victims’ confronting accounts paint this as only the latest in a long pattern of criminal behaviour.
“My son knew the 412 was always a bit erratic so he made a habit of showing up five minutes early. I guess today that wasn’t enough,” says Jane Turner, the mother of Max Turner who was one of the victims of today’s ongoing crime spree. “I just want to know why he did this. Max could have come home to his family at the same time that he does every other night. I just want answers.”
Unverified reports have suggested that the driver may have as many as a dozen hostages on board. Footage obtained by The Garter appears to show some of those hostages leaving the bus while other individuals enter. Commentators have suggested this may be some sort of pre-arranged prisoner exchange.
The driver is believed to be middle-aged and of Caucasian appearance. He was last seen wearing a ‘Transport NSW’ uniform and driving a Scania K280UB model passenger bus. Police are calling for anyone with information to come forward.
