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Passengers get accident-prone taxi driver taken off the road
AN accident-prone taxi driver has been banned from South Ribble's streets after terrified customers compared his driving to being on a 'rollercoaster ride at Blackpool'.
South Ribble Borough Council revoked the licence of Portuguese-born Manuel Paiva (pictured) after hearing how one terrified passenger ordered the 39-year-old to drop him off at a motorway service station after a nerve-racking journey back from Manchester Airport.
Mr Paiva, who admitted he was sacked from Avacabs and Leyland Taxis after complaints from customers about the quality of his driving, was working for Lostock Hall Taxis at the time he had his licence revoked.
The father-of-one, who lives in Farington, Leyland, describes himself as a 'reasonable driver' and reckons the ban is unfair.
"I'm not a super driver but I'm very careful on the road," he told the Guardian. "If I'm doing 90mph on the motorway I make sure I leave space from the driver in front for example."
Mr Paiva, who has lived in England for 13 years, works as a waiter but decided to become a taxi driver in 2005.
After getting his Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) clearance he started working for Leyland Taxis but says his career as a driver was marred by 'three or four accidents' and several scratches.
"One time I reversed against a car," he said. "I did not know there was a car there to be honest. It was in my blind spot.
"Another time I scratched a car on the entrance to my house because there were too many cars in the road. It was the only way I could get it on my drive.
"When I scratched the cars I was driving on my own. Nobody got hurt. I made some mistakes but not when I was transporting anybody."
Mr Paiva, who learnt to drive in England, admits he was told by his bosses he drove too fast, but insisted he'd slowed down.
"I don't think I'm a dangerous driver," he said and pointed to the fact he had no criminal convictions.
Phil Briggs, manager of Leyland Taxis on Hough Lane, said he had to sack Mr Paiva two weeks after taking him on after he clocked up four accidents in a fortnight.
He said Mr Paiva had the necessary CRB badge and he didn't know he'd previously been dismissed from his job at Avacabs.
"I told him his driving skills left something to be desired and he almost drove into my cab when I was dropping off some customers at Tesco in Leyland," said Mr Briggs.
"His driving frightened a lot of the passengers and one of them said it was like taking a rollercoaster ride at Blackpool.
"I was approached by the council's taxi licensing officer David Stewart who wanted to gather as much information as possible before making a decision about Manuel.
"The last place he worked at was Lostock Hall Taxis and the ban came about after one passenger contacted the council saying he was driving like a lunatic on a trip to the airport and they asked him to stop the taxi and let them out."
One customer told South Ribble Borough Council's general licensing committee of a nightmare journey she'd taken with her mum in Mr Paiva's taxi to Farington.
"When we went over the twin bridges the car left the ground," she said. "I do not think Manuel should be driving other people around in a taxi."
Mr Paiva addressed the committee and the licensing enforcement officer circulated statements about his driving standards.
Coun Tony Kelly, chairman of the licensing committee, said: "In recent months the council has received a number of complaints from customers about the standards of Mr Paiva's driving.
"We have compiled several witness statements, many of which suggest Mr Paiva has been involved in or has narrowly avoided a number of road accidents, some which could have been serious. All of the complaints we have received suggest that Mr Paiva is not a safe driver.
"Having heard each of these complaints, the licensing committee decided to revoke Mr Paiva's licence on the grounds that we believe he poses an unacceptable risk to the public."
He added: "Mr Paiva has been informed that he has the right to appeal to the magistrates against this decision."
Dave Baldwin, owner of Lostock Hall Taxis, confirmed Mr Paiva worked for him for 'a few months' but otherwise declined to comment.
Paul Tattersall, of Avacabs, said he employed Mr Paiva for a few weeks but declined to make any further comment.
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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin
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