The first thing you need is a written business plan explaining what you intend on doing and how you plan on getting it accomplished. You must prove on paper that you can make money with your taxi service by explaining what you will charge your customers, how often you expect to get customers and what your operational costs will be. Once you figure out how much you want to borrow, you will need to save up a substantial amount of money- preferbly half of what you need. This shows your investor that you are are serious and willing to risk something significant other than your reputation or "good name". Secondly you will have to do test marketing to substantiate your predictions. You could probably use your personal car to give people rides into town to determine how often your service would be needed. If you ask them for a donation that would give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for a cab ride. Depending on your local laws, you probably aren't subject to any kind of regulation because you are providing a service on a donation basis (temporarily- Because you are really doing this for test marketing purposes) Third, you have to be able to show a track record of financial responsiblity. Keep impeccable records of the bank accounts, bills, payment dates, etc.. so that you can prove that you are capable of managing your money. Use the donation money to buy gas and to do repairs on your car and keep track of every penny recieved and spent. After doing this for about 6 months or so, you will have no problem getting a small business loan through the SBA or your local bank. Although this seems like a lengthy process, if you are determined to make it work, you can accomplish it.

Save up some money buy a few older (1992-1996)crown vic's and lincoln town cars (between 1500 and 3000 each), have them painted and put taxi signs ($40.00) and taxi meters ($180-250.00)in them. Then list in the phone book with a catchy name and maybe an ad (can be a little expensive). Also, try to think of a name that begins with "A" because it will be first in the phonebook, and customers will notice it first. Depending on how many cars you start with, this could be a cheap startup investment, and work your way up without loans.

IF I WANT TO GET A SMALL BUSINESS LOAN I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH A BANK BUT I HAVE CREDIT ISSUES RIGHT NOW AS A RESULT OF A STUDENT LOAN THAT I AM CURRENTLY TRYING TO PAY OFF.

http://www.sba.gov

If you want to do some research, sign up for the Taxi-L news group on Yahoo. Many topics are covered and there are a lot of folks who will help you.