Stolen bus taken for a joy ride

A man will appear in court this morning charged with stealing a bus after he led police on a one and a half hour slow-paced chase through Dunedin overnight.

Senior Sergeant Brian Benn said police tried to stop the bus after it went through a red light at the intersection of London and Pitt Streets about 12.25am today.

The driver failed to stop and carried on driving through several more red lights while being pursued by police.

Mr Benn said police then cordoned off part of the city hoping the driver would park the bus.

But the bus drove through the cordon and police abandoned the chase and watched it from a distance.

"The bus then drove in a safe manner at speeds between 40 and 50 km/h obeying normal road signals and traffic lights," Mr Benn said.

The bus travelled more than 50km before police used road spikes and a truck to stop it.

The armed offenders squad used tear gas and pepper spray on the driver.

A 26-year-old Dunedin man was to appear in Dunedin District Court today charged with dangerous driving, failing to stop and unlawfully taking the bus.

The bus and one police car suffered moderate damage.

- NZPA