POLICE in Paris have arrested a transport enthusiast who posed as a trainee driver and managed to briefly drive a bus with passengers on board.

The 26-year-old man found a spare uniform for Paris public transport firm RATP at a flea market and persuaded a driver on route 576 in the west of the capital to let him have his turn behind the wheel on December 31.

According to PPrama, the staff magazine for the Paris police force, the impostor managed to drive the bus erratically over a short distance before the real driver stopped him.

The enthusiast tried his chances again on January 4, on the same route, but was turned down. Police said the man - who does not hold a driving licence - was already known to them and had tried a similar tactic several times before.

He was arrested at his home on January 26 and will appear in court next month. He told police his "passion for the job of bus driver" had prompted him to do it.