Bus driver suspended after viral video shows he let his monkey 'drive' the bus

A bus driver who allowed a monkey to assist him in his duties has been suspended for endangering his passengers. The incident caught on video drew mixed reactions from people who witnessed the unusual occurrence.

A bus driver in Karnataka put his job on the line when he engaged in “monkey business.”

A video that’s gone viral has everyone talking about a bus driver who allowed a langur, a long-tailed arboreal Asian monkey to take over his duty of driving a passenger bus. In the clip, the monkey is seen perched on the steering wheel as the driver, M Prakash assists him by holding the steering wheel with one hand. For a few moments, he allows the monkey to drive on its own while shifting the gears with his free hand.

Thought it appears the 36-year-old driver was endangering about 30 passengers on board, not one of them complained. Instead, it was the Prakash’s superiors who took action. According to the bus company’s spokesperson, Prakash disregarded passenger safety when he allowed the monkey to man the steering wheel.

This led to his suspension which earned mixed reactions on the internet.

“So sweet. Why suspend. He should have been warned not to repeat this."

“I would have transferred him from transport department to animal welfare (or forest) department with a bonus.”

“Good that action is taken and he suspended, but clearly he is in wrong job. This man is a sensitive animal lover (see how langur trusts him) and could be an asset in wildlife related jobs”

The monkey was reportedly owned by a school teacher on board and it refused to sit anywhere but with the driver in front of the bus. Prakash didn’t seem bothered by the monkey sitting on him as he attended to his responsibility. The video clip revealed Prakash never let go of the wheel at any point and kept one of his hands on it while the monkey assisted him. He also seemed to be paying attention to the road at all times.

Passengers of the bus didn’t seem to worry about the presence of the monkey who was relatively behaved. This is in contrast to a monkey in China that became aggressive towards a little girl who was trying to feed it. In a viral video uploaded on YouTube, a young girl visiting a zoo in China crouches down as she watches the adult with her feeding a monkey. However, things became violent when the monkey surprisingly punched the little girl in the face causing her to fall backward and tumble down a flight of stairs. Apparently, what caused the monkey’s ire was the younger girl teasing her with food and pulling it away before he could grab it. It was not revealed if the girl suffered severe injuries but the video of the incident earned more than 25,000 views.