A former drag queen DJ from Manchester has launched his own, openly gay, taxi business in Penzance.

Barry Mould is now the man behind Rainbow Cars after working as a taxi-driver in the town for the past six years.

Brought up in Manchester's Moss Side, Barry spent 16 years working in the city's gay bars as a DJ and helping to establish the Gay Pride marches there but moved to Cornwall after encountering problems in a former relationship.

"Originally I just came down here for six weeks to see my brother when things went wrong with the relationship," he said.

"But as soon as I went back to Manchester I had a really strong feeling that I should move permanently to Penzance."

Originally encouraged to get behind the wheel by taxi company owner Bob Gallie, Barry has worked for a number of firms in the town and believes he has built up a good relationship with his customers.

"A few of them have told me that I should branch out on my own and at Christmas I decided to take the plunge.

"I've taken out a loan which has paid for the car, my plate and for business cards and flyers so this is a new beginning for me.

"I have no qualms about my sexuality and I am very happy in Penzance – although it is hard for a gay man to find date – and I just want to build a life here.

"I hope that people find me approachable – if people want to keep themselves to themselves then fine but I am more than ready to have a chat and a laugh with customers."

http://goo.gl/BMFcmn

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PARIS (AP) — Paris police are clearing out protesting taxi drivers around airports and key intersections following government promises to help them cope with rising competition from app-based services like Uber.

Striking taxi drivers disrupted traffic around Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports and marched on a major highway this week. Some threatened Uber drivers and kicked and spraypainted traditional taxis whose drivers refused to strike.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls met late Thursday with taxi representatives to defuse the crisis. In a statement, he pledged new controls next week to ensure car services aren't violating tax and other rules, and suggested potential financial help for taxi drivers.

The Paris police department said traffic was returning to normal Friday morning around the airports and a major interchange at Porte Maillot in western Paris.

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MANCHESTER

A water taxi service for tourists and shoppers is set to be launched on a Manchester canal from June.

Manchester Water Taxis (MWT) has been given a two-year licence to run two boats on Bridgewater Canal.

The 25ft (7.62m) boats - or Waxis - will be able to carry 12 passengers between Dukes 92 bar in Castlefield and the Trafford Centre, via Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium.
Tickets are expected to start at £5.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-35381832

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DERBY

Taxi drivers who have their licence revoked in one area could get one in another without anyone knowing about their previous misdemeanors, a Derby MP has warned the Commons.

Mid-Derbyshire's Pauline Latham said there was a "very serious" loophole in the taxi licensing process.

The current system forces applicants to disclose if they have had a licence refused or revoked but there is no way of telling if the applicant is telling the truth.

Taxi drivers are thoroughly checked for a criminal record but issues that wouldn't show up on police records may not be known about.


Mrs Latham said the loophole had meant that a driver who has had a licence revoked by the council in one area for asking out young girls who used his taxi was successful in getting a new licence from a neighbouring authority.

She asked for a statement by the Department for Transport on the "possibility of a register of taxi drivers" so councils can check applicants to see if they have had a licence refused or revoked by another authority. 

In his reply, Chris Grayling MP, leader of the House of Commons, agreed it was a "very real problem" that had been identified and said he would make sure the Secretary of State for Transport was fully briefed on the issue.

Mrs Latham said: "The majority of taxi drivers would be truthful but there would be some that slip the net and there's no way of checking.

"This loophole is potentially very serious as is shown in the case of a driver who had his licence revoked being able to get another one because there is no mechanism to check the record of a driver.

"I am grateful for the vigilance of Councillor Jane Orton, from Amber Valley Borough Council, in identifying the problem and bringing it to my attention.

"I hope the Department of Transport will look seriously and report back to the House of Commons on the possibility of creating a national register of taxi drivers so authorities can be sure the applicants are telling the truth about their history."

Mrs Orton said the incident where a taxi driver had been asking out young girls was not in Derbyshire.

She said she had been told about it by a councillor from another part of the country.

http://goo.gl/tewNxL