Two 13-year-old boys stole and crashed two London buses in separate incidents during a late-night raid on a bus depot in east London, sparking concerns over security at the capital’s transport hubs.
The pair broke into the Henley Road garage in Silvertown at around 3am on June 13, taking a single-decker D3 bus on a mile-long joyride. CCTV from the driver’s cab showed the boys taking turns behind the wheel before crashing into two parked cars and fleeing.
Less than four hours later, the same teenagers returned to the depot and managed to start a double-decker bus within 20 seconds, only to crash into the garage’s perimeter fence before they could reach the road.
District Judge Talwinder Buttar at Stratford Youth Court called the incident “quite concerning”, noting that “two 13-year-old boys were able to start and drive a bus through London” with apparent ease.
One of the boys has already admitted taking a vehicle without consent, driving without insurance, and driving without a licence, and will be sentenced at Bexley Youth Court in October. The second boy pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated vehicle taking, as well as driving without insurance or a licence.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Ajayi said CCTV suggested the boys used a small device to start the buses, although one claimed they simply pressed the ignition button.
The second boy was sentenced to a 12-month referral order with rehabilitation and education sessions, banned from driving for two years, and prohibited from contacting his co-defendant. His mother was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £26 surcharge.
Transport for London (TfL) said it was working with operator Go-Ahead to review and strengthen security measures at the Henley Road depot, which serves multiple bus routes including the 5, 15, 115, 129, 330, 376, 473, D3, 69, 474, N15, and SL4.
TfL’s Head of Bus Service Delivery, Rosie Trew, said:
“We take safety and security across our network extremely seriously. We are working with the operator to ensure that all appropriate security measures are in place to prevent an incident such as this from happening again.”
