Buses on George Street, Croydon. Pic: Peter Trimming. 

A bus driver has been arrested on suspicion of drug driving this week, after hitting a pedestrian outside Boxpark on George Street in Croydon last Saturday. 

The 30-year-old male pedestrian was left seriously injured and is now fighting for his life in hospital.  

The incident took place at around 1:10 pm. The number 119 bus was heading in the direction of Bromley. 

A  Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Police were called to George Street, Croydon, at 1:09 pm on Saturday, 5 October to reports of a collision between a bus and a pedestrian. Officers attended along with paramedics from London Ambulance Service.” 

“A man in his 30s was found injured. He has been taken to hospital, where he remains in a life-threatening condition. The bus driver has been arrested on suspicion of drug driving. He has been taken into custody.” 

Police closed the road in both directions while they investigated the scene.  

According to Inside Croydon, a passenger reported that they hadn’t noticed anything “unusual or erratic” about the driver, or the way the bus was being driven. They noted that the driver seemed distressed after the incident.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson told EastLondonLines: “We sent a number of resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic and an incident response officer. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance. 

“The first paramedic arrived in less than three minutes.  

“We treated a patient at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre, by road, as a priority.”  

The bus driver remains in custody and a spokesperson for TfL said that they are “working urgently with the operator Go Ahead and the police to investigate what happened.”