A bus driver was suspended and the vehicle taken out of service yesterday after a Youtube video showed him driving as his steering wheel was coming off.

The video, posted on Sunday by Karen Billen, a British national who has relatives in Malta, shows the burly man driving down Rabat’s Saqqajja Road while struggling with a flimsy steering wheel, which started to come off.

At first he appears unperturbed and even negotiates a roundabout, while the pop hit, The Best Day of My Life, blares in the background. The song’s lyrics aptly include a line which says: “I say we lose control.” However, later in the video, the wheel actually comes off and the bus was stopped, cutting the ride short.

Transport Malta said it identified the vehicle and the driver as being employed by one of its subcontractors. “Both bus and driver have been immediately suspended from service while Malta Public Transport is investigating this case and the... bus is inspected for safety reasons.”

The transport watchdog expressed deep concern and surprise at the incident, condemning it, adding it was irresponsible and put passengers at risk.