An off-duty bus driver grabbed the wheel of an Olympic shuttle bus and brought the vehicle to a halt after the elderly driver suffered a heart attack.

The RCMP said the 71-year-old bus driver was transporting several off-duty bus drivers early Monday morning on the Trans-Canada Highway in Coquitlam, east of Vancouver, when he apparently had a massive heart attack.

Cpl. Lea-Anne Dunlop said one of the other drivers riding on the shuttle took control almost immediately and brought the bus to a stop in the highway's high occupancy vehicle lane. No other traffic was affected.

The 71-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders. Police have not released the names of anyone involved in the incident.

Much of the transportation plan for the 2010 Winter Olympics relies on hundreds of buses and drivers brought in specially for the Games, which are running in Vancouver until Feb. 28.