Libre Revolutions

It isn't just in London that taxi drivers have to know each street off by heart: in Manchester, the rules are equally as stringent, forcing would-be cabbies to know every road in the city before they can set foot in a taxi. Manchester's Taxi Academy has created a syllabus to teach prospective cab drivers the routes around the city in an easy-to-learn way, and even uses former Manchester City Council examiners to show them how it's done. Since it opens its doors, founder Kashef Ahmad estimates the college has boosted pass rates from 10-20% to more than 70%. In fact, the college has been so successful, it's spawned its own cab service: Academy Cars opened its doors in 2008.

• Innovative model serves a previously untouched market niche
• Logically thought-out syllabus has improved pass rates
• Diversified into a taxi service