A Maritime running enthusiast has started a friendly road war with Halifax Transit – regularly racing the Number 1 bus, and often winning.

Minh Tan was first featured on the Halifolks Facebook page, which features stories about people who live in Halifax, in January. He spoke of his summer pastime of racing the Number 1 bus on foot from downtown Halifax, at Scotia Square, to the Mumford bus terminal in the city’s west end.

A competitive runner bored of his daily run, Tan says he was looking for his next big challenge. He was sitting on the bus one day when it dawned on him.

“It was a slow day, I was sitting thinking, you know, I bet I could run this route faster than this,” Tan told CTV News. “I went home, checked the schedule, and I thought yeah, I probably could. It would probably be a fair race.”

So now, while some commuters ride the Number 1 bus, Tan spends his mornings racing it on the sidewalk. The route winds through the streets of Halifax for roughly 6.5 kilometres, which typically takes the bus about 28 minutes.

“I do it for the training, to be honest, not for the attention or anything,” said Tan. “It’s actually really good training to have to believe in myself.”

This week, cameras followed Minh Tan as he raced the bus, setting out to prove who is the real Number 1.

In the end, Minh outran the bus, finishing the route in just over 24 minutes.

“Some days you win, some days you lose,” said Tan. “If it was a sure thing, I would not be doing it.”

Some bus drivers don’t realize Tan is competing with them, but Brad Verge does.

"I enjoy this job, I like interacting with people, so it's right up my alley. I was cheering him on a couple of times, clapping for him,” he said.

Verge encourages his passengers to cheer on Tan, and sometimes the two enter into a little friendly rivalry.

"He passed me. I'm a slow driver, so you have an advantage," he said. “I want a rematch. I've had some co-workers show me where the gas pedal is over the past couple of days."

Tan – who has become known as Super-Minh among Halifax Transit drivers - has altered his rules to give the bus a fighting chance. He said he stops at all red lights and obeys all the rules of the road.

The local legend also has some tips for anyone who wants to improve their road racing times.

"Go race hard, and believe in yourself that you can win if you run hard," he said.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl and CTVNews.ca