A bus was forced to park after a large python was found inside its engine compartment in Thailand.

The vehicle had to make an unexpected stop, with commuters alighting in a panic upon finding that the snake had hitched a ride on the bus driving along Pathum Thani province on September 29.

A worker dragged the sizeable reptile out from its hiding place under the driver's cabin after it had scared off locals onboard.

A passenger who recorded the incident said: 'We were all surprised. The snake must have slithered up the engine to escape from the flood.'

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.