The teenager stole the bus from the premises of a transport company early on Friday morning, the police said. He opened the vehicle without violence and started it with a master key.

“We don’t yet know how he got the key and why he was able to drive the bus so well,” said a police spokeswoman. It is also unclear why he brought his 14-year-old friend to school in this unusual – and unauthorized – way.

Bus remained unscathed

The absence of the bus, which had just filled up during the night, was noticed around 6 a.m. in the morning. “As it was initially assumed that a bus driver was on the wrong bus, the police only became aware of the incident around midday.” Investigations then led to Karlsruhe – where a police patrol noticed the bus at midday. Shortly before, the 15-year-old had picked up his girlfriend.

The teenager now has to answer for theft and driving without a license. The police handed him over to his legal guardians. The bus remained undamaged.