Oaxaca state police have recovered six public transit buses hijacked by student teachers in the state capital.

Bus drivers and public transit businesses reported that the students — known as normalistas —forced passengers off the buses and stole the day’s bus fare.

But when police took back the buses, they checked the student teachers — who were clad in black clothing and balaclavas — and found there was no evidence of robbery. The police let them go and returned the buses to their operators.

Saul Santiago Trejo, a spokesperson for Oaxaca city student teachers, said the buses were only commandeered for transportation purposes to help the students attend a meeting of the CNTE teachers union where the allocation of teaching positions was to be discussed.

Hijacking buses has long been a popular means of obtaining transportation by protesting teachers and student teachers, particularly in Oaxaca, Guerrero and Michoacán.

With reports from Milenio