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EX-ATOMIC Kitten star Kerry Katona launched a women-only taxi firm today.

Pink Ladies, which has a females-only policy on drivers and passengers, opens for business in Warrington, Cheshire, next week.

It is set to become the first nationwide all-female taxi service, with franchises already bought in Brighton, Newcastle and across north west England.

She said: “I always feel so much safer when it is a woman driver. It’s all about peace of mind and safety.

“I once nodded off in the back of a cab after a night out and luckily the driver knew who I was and where I lived.

“I was very lucky - anything could have happened to me in that situation.”

The firm, which has a fleet of 14 pink Renault Kangoos, with pink leather interior, was founded by Tina Dutton - a family friend of Kerry’s.

It operates on a membership basis, to avoid falling foul of equal opportunities laws.

Ms Dutton said: “The vast majority of taxi drivers are safe and reliable, but there has been a rise in recent years in serious sexual assaults against women, who are often travelling in an unlicensed minicab, late at night.

“We want to provide women with the choice of having the extra peace of mind of a woman driver.” Sun

Pink Ladies: Kerry Katona with taxi firm bosses
Cab Firm In The Pink


Girl power is taking to the streets of London with a new taxi firm run by women for women.

Pink Ladies, which set up in Warrington last summer, has opened for business in the capital to combat the growing menace of assaults on women by unlicensed minicab drivers.

According to the Metropolitan Police, 10 women each month are sexually assaulted or raped by cowboy cabbies in London.

The firm operates as a members-only club. Women join online for £1 and cabs have to be pre-booked.

There are 5,000 members already in Warrington. The franchise there has a fleet of 21 cars and employs 35 staff.

After setting up in London with 15 pink Renault Kangoos, Pink Ladies will start operations in Manchester and then go nationwide.

''London is just the first stage. We're going to roll this out over the whole country,'' said co-founder Tina Dutton.

Although 99% of male drivers were safe, she said, it was the minority who posed the threat to women on city streets late at night.

Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona is one enthusiastic fan of the idea.

''You know who's picking you up and you have to be a member,'' she said.
Sky

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