Shirtless Man Drives Damaged Muni Bus Through Oakland Streets
Video of the incident, showing a man smoking a cigarette behind the wheel of a bus with a missing windshield, has gone viral.
A shirtless man was filmed driving a dilapidated San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) coach through West Oakland, an unusual sight captured on video that has since circulated widely online.
The footage shows the man, holding a cigarette, operating the bus which appears to have sustained significant damage. The front windshield is missing, and the remaining glass is cracked. A temporary paper license plate is visible on the bumper, while the electronic "Not in Service" sign above the damaged front is still illuminated.
The clip began gaining traction online this week, with some comparing the scene to the chaotic environment of the video game "Grand Theft Auto." It reportedly originated from an Instagram post before spreading to Reddit forums such as r/BayArea and r/CrazyFuckingVideos.
The identity of the driver, how he came into possession of the bus, and whether he recently purchased it remain unclear. The incident has drawn attention to the fate of San Francisco's older transit vehicles as the Municipal Transportation Agency phases them out in favor of new battery-electric buses.
Retired Muni buses can sometimes be purchased by private individuals. SFist previously reported that a retired Muni bus with 41,608 miles was advertised for sale at $8,000 in Sacramento, though the final sale price was not confirmed. The condition and sale price of the bus seen in Oakland are unknown.