Two 13-year-old boys steal London buses in shocking joyrides through East London

The boys, both aged 13, stole a D3 single-decker bus from the Henley Road garage in Silvertown, east London, in the early hours of June 13.

They took the bus on a joyride for around a mile before crashing it into two parked cars at around 3am, Stratford Youth Court heard.

Their chaotic ride was captured by cameras inside the driver’s cab, which also filmed then fleeing the scene after the crash.

But the collision did not deter the thieves, who returned to the same garage less than four hours later to steal a double-decker bus.

Once again, the boys started up the vehicle with ease but were unable to get onto the road, as they smashed the bus into the garage perimeter fence.

Their dangerous journeys have raised questions about the security of London's transport depots, with many concerned how easily the schoolboys were able to take control of the buses.

CCTV images appear to show the teenagers using a small box which allowed them to activate the vehicles, prosecutor Elizabeth Ajayi told the hearing.

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"They got into an unmanned singer decker D3 TfL bus, at first it was difficult for them to go into, but then they managed to get in”, said Ms Ajayi.

At Wednesday's hearing, one of the boys told the court through his lawyer that they simply had to press the ignition button to start the engine.

Once it was on, the boys took the bus on the public road and took turns driving, the court heard.

Ms Ajayi told the court: "Within two minutes of him taking over driving, he crashes into parked cars, and then both of them left. They had driven for about a mile.

"Later on the same day, they took a double decker bus. They were able to do that without anybody interfering.

"They got in, and within 20 seconds the bus started to move from the garage. They didn’t get too far before crashing into the fence."

One of the boys has admitted taking a vehicle without consent, as well as driving without insurance or a licence. He is due to be sentenced at Bexley youth court in October.

The second boy, who appeared in court on Wednesday, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated vehicle taking, and driving without insurance or a licence.

"In the climate we live in, it’s quite concerning when people are able to walk in and start a bus," said District Judge Talwinder Buttar.

"It doesn’t seem that complicated, and two 13-year-old boys were able to do that and drive a bus through London."

The boys, who have now been banned from seeing each other, had become "inseparable" friends in the lead up to the incident.

The second boy, who wore comic book-branded clothes for his court hearing, blamed the other boy for leading him into trouble and described the bus joyride as "fun".

The court heard he has ADHD, and police have concerns that he is at risk of exploitation by criminal gangs.

"What a way to come to court”, the judge remarked. “You could have hurt someone, you could have killed someone. I’m surprised you are here without any injuries.”

She added: “You are too young to be taking your GCSEs, let alone driving a double decker bus.”

The second boy was sentenced to a 12-month referral order, to undergo rehabilitation and education sessions under the watch of a team of youth workers.

He was also issued with a two-year driving ban, while his mother was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £26 court surcharge.

Transport for London said it is working with bus operator Go-Ahead, which runs the Henley Street depot, to ensure security measures are in place.

Commenting after this week’s court hearing, Rosie Trew, TfL's Head of Bus Service Delivery, said in a statement: "Together with London's bus operators, we take safety and security across our network extremely seriously.

"We are working with the operator of this bus garage, Go-Ahead, to ensure that all appropriate security measures are in place and to prevent an incident such as this occurring again."