Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Daily News Reporters Find Stealing Buses <em>So Easy</em>
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 6, 2010
Modified Sep 6, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 6, 2010
Modified Sep 6, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Inspired by the exploits of mass transit enthusiast Darius McCollum, who has been arrested 27 times for things like driving a subway (the E train, to be exact), impersonating transit employees, and, most recently, stealing a Trailways bus, the Daily News has been dispatching employees to see how easy it is to steal public transportation vehicles. And in the case of Trailways buses, well, the keys are waiting for you!
McCollum, who bragged he's stolen 150 buses, took a Trailways bus last week after finding the keys in the ignition. And for some reason, Trailways bus drivers didn't learn their lesson afterwards: On Saturday, News reporter Mike Jaccarino headed to the same Hoboken bus depot, "Amazingly, Trailways had left the keys in the ignition again. I got behind the wheel and started the engine, heard its growl and felt its rumble. I resisted the temptation to drive off, turned off the bus and slowly walked out as if nothing happened."
Yesterday, reporter Lore Croghan headed there for herself:
Sunday afternoon when I showed up, the depot gate was open wide. I walked right in.
I was plenty conspicuous, carrying a big leather-bound notebook and wearing a floor-length skirt that couldn't be mistaken for a bus driver's uniform. But there wasn't a living soul to notice me.
I spent 20 minutes taking a self-guided tour of the place. The rows of parked buses looked so eager to be off and rolling; it was a sunny afternoon, just right for a road trip.
In the middle of a lineup of Trailways, I found one bus I could make my own. Through its closed door, I saw a silvery key gleaming in the ignition. The passenger door opened with a flick of my wrist.
I stepped right in, no problem. It was mine for the taking.
Trailways had no comment for the Daily News.
Tagged
bus
daily news
darius mccollum
mass transit
stealing bus
subway
Trailways
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .