Monkey steals a bus while the driver takes a nap

One of the most bizarre traffic accidents of the year has taken place in northern India, where a monkey stole and crashed a bus.

The monkey managed to start the engine of the bus while the driver was taking a nap - and even got it moving.

The bus hit two other vehicles parked in the garage in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh state, before the driver was able to regain control.

The chicle had been parked at the local bus station between routes, and the conductor had stepped off for a break.

The driver, seizing an opportunity for a nap, and stretched out in the back, leaving the keys in the ignition.

As the driver dozed off, one of Bareilly's many street-monkeys climbed in and got behind the wheel.

Somehow, the simian managed to turn the key and start the engine, Times of India reports.

This woke the driver, who rushed to the front, but when he shoo-ed the monkey out of the way, the animal accidentally put the bus in second gear.

As the monkey jumped out of the bus, it started rolling, and bystanders were forced to jump out of the way.

'The driver managed to regain control of the bus but not before it hit two other parked buses,' local public transport manager SK Sharma told Times of India.

'Monkeys have become a regular menace at bus stations and workshops, where they often fiddle with vehicles undergoing repair. They have also damaged CCTV cameras at stations.

'Three years we were able to get rid of them the help of municipal authorities to get rid of them but they have returned.'

Credit: Sara Malm