ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Uber Driver Takes Completely Wrong Turn And Gets Stuck On Staircase

Uber Driver Takes Completely Wrong Turn And Gets Stuck On Staircase

A bit like ​The Italian Job... just a lot less slick

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

An Uber driver in Australia got himself in a bit of a pickle after accidentally driving down a set of stairs while trying to get to a property.

Taxi drivers get a fair amount of stick from us lot, who suddenly become backseat experts despite the fact we're often so sozzled we don't even know our own house number, let alone the best route to take to get there.

And to be fair, the staircase does look a little bit like a driveway - as the driver later claimed.

The unnamed driver wheeled down a staircase at 6.30am on Hall Street in Bondi Beach, thinking it was a driveway to nearby apartments.

"I mean it looks like a driveway in, so what happened?" the driver told 9News.

Thing is, it wasn't - and perhaps unsurprisingly, he got himself well and truly stuck.

Left hanging in the balance and unable to reverse out of the predicament, the driver provided a bit of a spectacle to the early morning folk leaving for work... A bit like The Italian Job, just ever so slightly less slick.

Thankfully, the driver wasn't hurt in the incident (other than a fairly bruised ego, I'd imagine), and eventually his Audi Q3 was towed away.

The car was eventually towed away.
9News

"All the wheels were off the floor so he couldn't reverse," witness Oscar Fowler said.

"He was just flustered."

He added: "It was a bit of shock, the bloke was just sitting in his car though. No one got hurt or anything."

Another witness said: "[He] came out to make some money as an Uber driver, but he'll be getting an Uber home."

The stairs will need to be repaired after suffering some damage, but according to 9News, police have said it's unlikely the driver will face any charges.

LADbible has contacted Uber for comment.

At least the driver's mishap may have not been spotted by anyone requesting a ride - as it turns out the little cars you see on Uber maps aren't necessarily the ones you're requesting.

The Uber app.
PA

It turns out they're actually just a graphical representation of the potential cars that are out there, and Uber instead uses 'best matching' to connect riders with drivers, rather than the closest ride to you - meaning the driver in Bondi hopefully didn't display on screen as a stationery car stuck on a staircase.

"Our goal is for the number of cars and their location to be as accurate as possible in real time," an Uber spokesperson told Mashable.

"Latency is one reason this is not always possible. Another reason is that the app only shows the nearest eight cars to avoid cluttering the screen.

"Also, to protect the safety of drivers, in some volatile situations, the app doesn't show the specific location of individual cars until the ride is requested."

Featured Image Credit: 9News

Topics: World News, News, Uber, Car, Australia