A 27-year-old man was charged in a district court on Thursday with stealing an SBS Transit bus. Mohamed Rafiq Mohamed Basir allegedly stole the $302,639 bus at Buona Vista bus terminal between 9.06pm and 9.24pm on Jan 9.

He is also accused of driving the vehicle when he had no Class 4 driving licence and driving without insurance coverage. Bail of $15,000 was allowed and he will be back in court on Feb 7.

If convicted of theft, he could be jailed for up to seven years, fined and banned from driving.

For driving without a licence, he could be fined up to $1,000 or jailed for up to three months. For the insurance offence, the maximum penalty is a $1,000 fine and three months' jail.