Video shows "trail of devastation" in Milton Keynes after drunk passenger stole bus while driver made phone call

A drunk passenger left a "trail of devastation" in Milton Keynes after stealing a bus and going on a six-mile joyride.

The boozed-up offender jumped behind the wheel of the bus when the driver briefly stopped to get out and make a phone call on Monday evening.

He then drove the vehicle for a couple of miles before crashing into rows of cars and then into an Audi A3 with the 17-year-old driver inside.

The bus was later found abandoned at a railway station in MK.

A 43-year-old man was later arrested in connection with the drunken escapade.

One of the drivers of the destroyed cars was Travis O'Dell, 17, from Milton Keynes.

His Audi A3 was written off by the crash which occurred as he was driving to meet some friends at 6.25pm that evening.

Travis, a business apprentice from Milton Keynes, said he was lucky to make it out of the crash alive.

He said: "I'm lucky to be alive, really. If it had hit my driver's door I potentially wouldn't be here anymore.

"The whole car shook, it was a terrifying experience as it got thrown around."

Travis was stationary whilst waiting to turn onto a roundabout when the bus hurtled towards him from the right.

The bus then appeared out of nowhere, careering towards him.

The bus rammed into the front of Travis' silver Audi at an estimated 40 miles per hour, totalling the vehicle.

The bus then swerved dangerously off Walton Park roundabout in Milton Keynes and onto a grass verge.

Travis recalled the bus then "barely regained" control as it swerved back onto the dual carriageway and carried on its dangerous escapade without stopping to check on Travis and his totalled car.

He said: "Nobody wants to look to their right and see a full-on bus ploughing towards you at high speed, you’re helpless."

Thankfully he came away with just some backache but has lost the car he bought two weeks ago for £2,300.

He had started saving up for it eight months ago before he passed his driving test in October.

The bus was stolen from a Tesco bus stop on Tongwell Street in Milton Keynes at 6.20pm.

Police eventually found the bus parked six miles away from where it was stolen at Milton Keynes Central train station.

A 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking, drunk driving and dangerous driving and taken into custody the same evening.

He has since been released on bail until April 16.

Thames Valley Police Roads Policing team posted on social media later that evening: "When people say 'when you've had a drink, take the bus', it isn't meant to be taken literally.

"This bus in Milton Keynes was stolen by a drunken passenger earlier on this evening and left a trail of devastation as it collided with numerous other vehicles before being stopped.

"Thankfully nobody was injured during this incident and the other passengers managed to flee the bus as it was being stolen. The bus driver was also uninjured in the theft."