A kid taxi business offers rideshares for children. Most businesses are set up through apps, which provide a convenient way to let parents know when their children are picked up and dropped off. Many parents struggle to arrange transportation for their children. Kid taxi businesses seek to address this problem by providing rideshares specifically for children. Most businesses operate via apps, which let parents schedule, track, and pay for rides.
Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? We recommend forming an LLC as it is the most affordable way to protect your personal assets. You can do this yourself or with our trusted partner for a small fee.
Northwest ($29 + State Fees)
DIY: How to Start an LLC
Start a kids taxi service by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Kids Taxi Service
- Form your Kids Taxi Service into a Legal Entity
- Register your Kids Taxi Service for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Kids Taxi Service
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Kids Taxi Service
- Get Kids Taxi Service Insurance
- Define your Kids Taxi Service Brand
- Create your Kids Taxi Service Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your kids taxi service. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Kids Taxi Service Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a kids taxi service?
The costs associated with opening a kid taxi business are substantial. Business owners must have enough capital to cover:
- Building a custom website
- Creating a custom app
- Legal fees and licenses
- Insurance premiums
- Advertising expenses
- Background check costs
A custom website alone can cost between $6,000 and $15,000 (and possibly much more). According to How Much to Make an App’s calculator, it’s cost an estimated $93,900 to make an app that has logins, in-app purchases, reviews, ratings and other important features. Legal, licensing, insurance and advertising costs would add several more thousand dollars to a kid taxi business’ startup expenses.
Although a website and app cost a lot, business owners shouldn’t skimp on these two expenses. These are the face of a kids taxi business, and they must give parents confidence in the business. Anything less than stellar will likely lead to failure, as parents will be less willing to sign their children up for rides.
Instead of skimping on these expenses, business owners may be able to reduce their startup expenses by finding designers and developers who will do the technical work necessary in exchange for a share of the business. A partnership or profit-sharing agreement may be the most economical way to launch a business like this.
What are the ongoing expenses for a kids taxi service?
The ongoing expenses for kid taxi businesses include website and app maintenance fees, insurance premiums, and drivers’ payments. Drivers’ payments must be large enough to cover all costs incurred by drivers (i.e. gas, maintenance, etc.) and give them a profit.
Who is the target market?
A kids taxi business’ ideal customer is a parent who has a well-paying and demanding job. Such a parent is likely to need help transporting their children around town, and they will probably have enough discretionary income to pay for kids’ rides.
How does a kids taxi service make money?
Kids taxi businesses often have two fees. Many charge families a monthly subscription fee for participating in the program, and there is also a per-ride fee.
How much can you charge customers?
How much a kids taxi businesses charge for rides depends on the number of children being transported and how far the ride is. It’s common to have a minimum charge of around $15.
These per-ride charges are in addition to any subscription fees and other charges, such as cancellation, wait time, and short notice.
How much profit can a kids taxi service make?
Kid taxi businesses are still fairly new, and they’re growing in popularity. The upper limit of their profit potential probably hasn’t been reached by any business yet. If Uber and Lyft are an example, these kinds of ride-sharing businesses could eventually grow to have millions of dollars in revenue.
How can you make your business more profitable?
A kid taxi business can increase its profits by offering additional services. Zum, for instance, is set up to have a driver babysit kids or stay during an activity if an adult has to remain present with them.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your kids taxi service is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your kids taxi service were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
More than 84% of our readers opt to collaborate with a professional LLC formation service to kickstart their venture. We’ve negotiated a tailored discount for our readers, bringing the total down to just $29.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
You will need a legal drivers license to run a kids taxi service, as well as up-to-date automobile insurance. In addition, certain other state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a kids taxi service. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
Services Contract
Kids taxi services should require clients to sign a services agreement. This agreement should clarify client expectations and minimize risk of legal disputes by setting out payment terms and conditions, service level expectations, and intellectual property ownership.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Find out what types of insurance your Kids Taxi Service needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Kids Taxi Service.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a kids taxi service
Social media is an inexpensive and effective way to market a kid taxi business. Targeted campaigns can be set up to advertise to parents in the area. Parents who see ads on social media are already likely using smart devices, so they’re probably accustomed to apps.
How to keep customers coming back
A kids taxi business can set itself apart from competitors in the area by specializing in transporting kids of a certain age. For example, a business might focus on transporting children under five or those in elementary school.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
Anyone who has personally struggled with the challenges of getting kids where they need to be on time may have the insights necessary to run a kid taxi business. Having personal experience arranging children’s transportation helps business owners anticipate the needs and concerns of parents who might use a kid taxi business.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a kids taxi service?
Running a kids taxi business mostly involves working on a computer. Business owners might spend their time:
- Addressing technical issues
- Responding to inquiries from customers
- Ensuring their app and website are running smoothly
- Promoting their business
In most cases, the actual transporting of children is done by drivers who sign up to provide rides through the business’ app or website.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful kids taxi service?
A lot of the work involved in opening a kids taxi business can be outsourced to professionals who have specialized knowledge. For instance, a web designer can be hired to build a website, and a programmer can be commissioned to create an app. Even drivers can be hired on a contract basis to give kids rides.
Business owners, however, must be able to coordinate multiple workers. Building a kid taxi business is a complex undertaking and requires a lot of logistical work.
Business owners have to also be able to anticipate the concerns that could keep parents from using a kids taxi service. Specifically, business owners need to know how to address all safety concerns. There should be a thorough vetting system in place for drivers, parents should have live information on where their kids’ rides are, and all safety information should be clearly communicated. TaxiMom, Zum, and HopSkipDrive all have prominent pages on their websites that cover safety concerns.
Business owners who aren’t familiar with the current safety standards regarding kids should consider taking a seminar on the subject. Several organizations, such as The Child Safety Protection Network and ChildSafe, offer training on child safety issues.
What is the growth potential for a kids taxi service?
Kids taxi businesses normally start out serving a single geographic region, which is usually a major metropolitan area. As a business grows, it may expand into additional cities. For example, TaxiMom serves various Texas school districts, and Zum operates in the San Francisco Bay Area and Orange County. HopSkipDrive is in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, Orange County and Los Angeles.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
What are some insider tips for jump starting a kids taxi service?
Many parents may be initially hesitant to pay for a kids taxi service. Offering free rides at first can help encourage parents to try a business’ services, and it can get them used to the convenience that a taxi service provides. Once they’ve used a taxi service, parents will have a hard time leaving it. This could turn initially hesitant parents into long-term customers.
How and when to build a team
A kid taxi business needs a sizable team of drivers as soon as it launches. Without enough drivers, the business will struggle to provide rides and possibly lose customers.
Drivers can be recruited before launching in an area. They’re usually paid on a per-ride basis as independent contractors, so businesses don’t have to worry about paying drivers’ salaries before launching.