A PASSENGER on a bus that began smoking has described the driver's response as "immense".

Alexandra Hows, 34, of Bolton Woods gets onto TLC’s 656 bus every day to take her three-year-old toddler Bobby to school.

She boarded the service, heading towards Baildon, from Bute Street at 8.50am.

The bus went round the corner and onto Festival Avenue when a problem arose.

Ms Hows said: “The driver said he lost power at the top of the hill.”

There was smoke coming from the bus but the driver remained composed, according to Ms Hows.

She said: “I was trying to keep my toddler in the seat, I had no idea what was going on but he responded really quickly, calmly and got us all off.”

The driver used a fire extinguisher as a precaution while telling his customers to ring 999, said Ms Hows.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said: "We were called at 8am this morning to reports of a large vehicle on fire on Festival Avenue in Shipley.

“Two crews attended (Bradford and Shipley) but found the bus was not on fire, the cause of the fire alarm sounding was an overheated engine.”

Ms Hows heaped praise on the bus driver for being “so good and so calm and collected” which meant customers “did not think to panic”.

She said: “The bus driver was immense.”