A 58-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday morning on the Avdelleros-Athienou road after driving a public bus while he was seven times over the legal alcohol limit.

Traffic police stopped the bus at around 6.45am.

“During the inspection, it was found that there were more passengers inside than the bus than allowed, namely 54 people instead of 50,” police said, adding that among them were also secondary school students on their way to school.

A breath test showed the driver’s alcohol level was 63μg, exceeding the legal limit of 9μg.

The man was arrested for driving under the influence and violating passenger capacity limits.

He appeared before Larnaca district court later on Tuesday where a criminal case was filed.

He was released on bail of an undisclosed amount and agrees to return to court on October 17 for a trial.

According to reports the suspect has denied the charges against him.

Police are now set to instruct the road transport department (TOM) to suspend his professional driving licence.

The bus company that he works for told the Cyprus News Agency that he has been suspended and will not carry out any routes for the time being.