TERRIFIED pedestrians ran for their lives and panicking passengers were flung from their seats during "the bus ride from hell".

Constantine Okeke, an IT technician from Leyton, said he feared for his life when a bus driver "snapped" and begun speeding dangerously through busy rush hour traffic.

The traumatic journey, which the 32-year-old described as "like a scene from the film Speed", began at around 7am when he boarded a number 55 service in Leyton bound for Oxford Circus.

After a few stops, the driver suddenly started breaking hard without reason.

He then began driving at a crawl and other road users vented their frustration as he stopped at green lights.

However, things took a dramatic turn for the worse after the double-decker stopped at Hackney Central.

The driver put his foot down and was soon breaking the speed limit and ignoring people at bus stops. Maintaining high velocity, he repeatedly broke sharply to avoid hitting cars and raced erratically through streets narrowed by roadworks.

The driver continuously failed to stop at red lights and nearly hit a number of pedestrians as desperate passengers screamed in fear.

Mr Okeke said: "By this time I was already repeatedly pressing the button to make the driver stop. Other passengers were shouting at the driver and one woman sitting next to me was on the floor praying to Jesus Christ. I decided to make my way to the back of the bus in preparation for a major collision."

Without warning, the bus came to a halt, allowing relieved passengers to alight near Cambridge Heath station.

The driver was then escorted from the bus by a colleague.

Mr Okeke continued: "How I and other passengers, road users and pedestrians managed to live through the ordeal and avoid a major accident with fatalities is something I can find no answer to.

"I hope to never experience the sheer terror I was subjected to on this bus."

A spokeswoman for Transport for London said: "It would seem that the driver was taken ill on the bus.

"From what I understand he sought assistance from a member of staff and was subsequently taken to hospital."