A 9-year-old boy in Guangzhou took to the road in an intercity bus on Friday, and drove it without mishap.
The boy boarded the bus in Zengcheng district in Guangzhou, in South China's Guangdong Province, according to video footage from news portal thepaper.cn.
He drove the bus for 40 minutes, managing to keep it under control, until the police stopped the vehicle.
The boy, who is seen smoking in the police station in the footage and who refused to reveal his father's identity, is too young to be punished, police officers said.
The incident soon aroused attention online, with many expressing concern for the safety of the child and condemning his parents.
"The police should punish the kid's guardians. This could have resulted in tragedy," wrote a Net user, named "miqingqing" on Sunday.
Others made light of the incident, praising the boy's good driving skills.
"He is definitely far better than many 'female panic drivers'," wrote a Weibo "ganganzheng" on Sunday.
