Boy, 15, Takes Tram, Picks Up Passengers
October 25, 2011 by UPI - United Press International, Inc.
ZLATOUST, Russia, Oct. 25 (UPI) — Russian police said they arrested a 15-year-old boy who took an empty tram out for a spin while picking up and dropping off passengers.
Police in Zlatoust, in the Chelyabinsk region, said the boy got behind the wheel of the tram while the driver and conductor were out to lunch and drove the vehicle for about 40 minutes along its regular route, picking up and dropping off multiple passengers who apparently did not notice the driver’s young age, The Moscow Times reported Tuesday.
The boy was apprehended when police switched the tracks and forced the tram back to the depot.
“The boy is a real tram-freak,” Galina Tsoi, an official with the Zlatoustovskoye Tram Service, told news site Chelyabinsk.ru. “He’s been a regular in our workshops. He’s met all the metalworkers and drivers, learned about how trams work on the Internet. He dreams about working here.”
Police said commandeering a public vehicle carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, but the boy is likely to face a reduced punishment due to his age and lack of ill intent.
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