Filmed at 10 p.m. on Tuesday March 3 by YouTuber Xris K, the empty bus rolls silently away from its parking spot at Bathurst Station, travelling several yards along the icy road and gaining speed before crashing into the rear of a parked delivery van.
The vehicle immediately became known as the TTC “Ghost Bus” and shows the bus moving for around 19 seconds. What caused the bus to start moving is not visible in the video, which starts after the bus has already begun to roll.
TTC passengers can be heard laughing initially as the bus begins to move. The laughs get more excited as the bus gains speed and heads for the van, before howling “no” as it crashes into the van with a sizeable crunch. The damage is not clearly visible on the video except for the fate of the wing mirror.
Likened by some to a comedic circus act, the wing mirror of the bus flies into the air before landing in the slush by the bus wheels. The bus received more minor damage to its front and the van suffered a dented rear.
Unfortunately for some, the “ghost bus” claims are disputed by operator TTC. Spokesperson Brad Ross gave a more ordinary explanation, saying that the driver had parked at the station to let passengers off and then headed for the toilets.
It seems as though he forgot to correctly apply the parking brakes, allowing the bus to move forward unrestrained. The bus driver will be interviewed by the company, which would not confirm if any disciplinary action will be taken. It is also unknown how much the damage to either vehicle is worth.
