Sgt. Mark Van Wolde hopped on the Yonge Street bus on Friday, but it wasn’t because he wanted to catch a ride.

The York Regional Police officer was on the bus to spot drivers texting or talking on the phone, while behind the wheel.

"It allows us to actually have elevated portion of looking into vehicles and see if they're actually using hand-held devices," he says.

When the officer on the bus spots a driver texting or talking on the phone, the information is relayed to a nearby patrol car.

"People will try to text below the steering wheel or off to the side. People will also try different tactics by putting it underneath clothing or other objects in the passenger seat."

In a matter of minutes, police stopped one distracted driver after another. In just two hours, police made nine stops for distracted driving.

People watching the blitz on the bus support the creative efforts by police.

"Even though it's illegal there are so many people who talk or text while on the phone. So i think it's terrific," says David Lamrock.

"What we're trying to do is curtain that activity by saying we may be on board this bus, we might not be"

So far York Regional Police have ridden the bus more than a dozen times, which has led to more than 60 distracted driving charges.