KEY POINTS:
A runaway bus crashed into a power pole yesterday morning at the intersection of Mt Albert Rd and Beagle Ave after the female driver left the wheel to chase a would-be thief.
Police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said a boy, who had been on the Stagecoach bus with a companion, tried unsuccessfully to steal the takings and the driver's cellphone .
"She ran out and tackled him. She turned back to see the bus slowly moving off down the road."
The two boys ran off and were chased by several members of the public.
Ms Hegarty said an elderly passenger on the bus steered it on to the footpath where it collided with a concrete power pole, bringing the power lines down and temporarily cutting electricity to nearby houses.
The bus driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries and, although the passengers were shaken, they were not injured.
Stagecoach marketing and customer services manager Stephen Wade said the bus driver had been pulled out of her seat during the struggle and had not left the bus unattended to chase the boy.
He said the company was "deeply concerned" by what had happened.
Daniel Heineke, 28, and his cousin, Jason Heineke, 29, were driving in the opposite direction along Mt Albert Rd when they saw the incident unfold.
"We saw the bus come to a standstill and two guys ran out of the bus. The bus driver ran out after them and tackled one of them. Then the bus kept rolling and it went clean through a power pole."
The pair stopped and ran over to the bus to check the passengers were unharmed.
"Everybody was OK, so we jumped in the van and chased them for a bit, then we got out and chased them on foot, but they got way ... it's been an exciting morning."
Joanne Gallagher, 13, was in her bedroom on Mt Albert Rd when she heard the commotion outside.
"I saw the bus rolling past my window and there was no driver. The bus rolled into the power pole. It made a pretty loud bang and I saw two guys run down the street."
Police were yesterday still hunting for the boy involved in the incident. He is described as a young Pacific Islander or Maori with short, straight, dark hair and a small rats-tail. He is of slim build and about 177cm. He was wearing a blue T-shirt, black trousers and white sneakers.
