KANSAS CITY (AP) – A western Missouri man has admitted placing a phony explosive device on a public bus out of frustration with unreliable service.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says 37-year-old Scott Gene Bradley, of Independence, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to committing a hoax.

A driver for the Independence public bus service found the device last August under a passenger seat. Investigators said it consisted of a cellphone taped to a black metal box, with a wire running from the phone into the box.

Authorities determined the device was harmless. They also traced the phone to Bradley, who told agents he was frustrated with several aspects of his life – including the failure of the bus to run on schedule.

Bradley faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.