Uber driver’s stairwell mishap
A taxi driver has been likened to film action hero Jason Bourne after a bizarre stairwell mishap in Bath. His taxi, which also appeared to have Uber branding, was left stranded on a flight of steps. Sheryl Yapp, from Bath, was one of many baffled witnesses to the remarkable scene at the Riverside development. She said: “Best laugh I’ve had today. Taxi driver thought he was Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity, making a getaway down the steps.” She wasn’t the only person to liken the scene to something out of a movie. On Twitter, a user by the name of @Unclebobbings, said: “Italian Job remake?” Paul Roles, 54, and a fellow cabbie also came across the taxi driver and his predicament. He said: “It must have been stuck there for around an hour. I guess the driver must have seen cars at the bottom of the stairs and presumed it was a ramp. “It was one of the most ludicrous sights I have ever seen.” Mr Roles, inset, who works for Abbey Taxis and lives in the Kingsmead area of the city, blamed the driver’s reliance on satellite navigation. He said: “It just shows you how much these Uber drivers rely on satnav. It clearly told the driver to make a turn and it’s taken him right down these steps. “Taxi drivers need to have local knowledge so things like this do not happen. You can’t just rely on satnav.” As this area of the city is under development, it’s likely mapping systems have not quite caught up with it yet. Andrew Fulgoni, a retired photographer now living in the city, saw the incident unfold. He lives in one of the Royal View Apartments at Bath Riverside, directly above the stairwell. He said: “It was quite a remarkable sight. I am fortunate to live in one of the flats right above it so I could get a good shot of it.” On the satnav issue, Mr Fulgoni said: “I went down to check if my satnav still saw that part of the city as a road and it did. It must be because this area is still under construction. “Although part of Elizabeth Parade is a road, that part isn’t. I can only assume that the driver thought it was a ramp, but only noticed it was a stairwell upon entering.” Fortunately for the taxi driver, there were builders in the area working on the Riverside development who came to his aid. Mr Fulgoni said: “The builders just got on with helping the motorist. There were no police in the area. “They brought across a forklift truck and managed to manoeuvre the car back onto the path at the top of the stairwell. “There were a few scratches on the bottom of the vehicle but in general it seemed to come away unscathed.” Mr Fulgoni couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the stranded car. He said: “It looked like it had been set up. I thought there was an advert shooting on the street. The car looked shiny and new. It was all thanks to the builders that the car was able to get away. They were the heroes of the day. “They’ve stuck a concrete block at the stop of the stairwell now to stop other vehicles suffering the same fate.” As well as having Uber branding, the taxi has been registered with Bath & North East Somerset Council. Addressing the incident, a spokeswoman for the council said: “Thank you to the member of public for spotting this, which we will be investigating.” When contacted, Uber said it was also investigating the incident.