Australian bus driver found intoxicated 10 times over legal limit

  • 17/09/2017

A Sydney bus driver was 10 times above the legal alcohol limit when he crashed his vehicle.

The bus, which was empty aside from the driver, ploughed into two homes on Saturday, causing extensive damage, but amazingly nobody was killed.

At midday in heavy traffic, multiple cameras caught the driver accelerating out of the North Ryde depot. It was barely on the road for seconds before it swerved off and hit the homes on Epping Drive.

Resident Siu Yau described the scene to 7 News: "Bang, bang, bang - and then I come to look and come and see the bus."

It ploughed through the bedroom of one home before stopping in the lounge of a second, also taking down a power line.

One homeowner managed to move out of the way of the oncoming bus, but neighbours suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

Both houses were heavily damaged with Fire and Rescue NSW duty commander Steven Moran telling 7 News that the homes "suffered severe structural damage" and were left "totally inhabitable". 

Australian police said he returned a roadside breath test of 0.2 - 10 times the legal limit for heavy vehicle drivers, and still four times the normal legal limit.

The owner of the bus company, North Sydney Bus Charters, has said the driver has been suspended pending a further investigation.

Newshub.