Sitting a child on your lap in a taxi

[Heaven]

I have no idea where to put this thread sorry!

Today I called up for a taxi to see if we could get one with 2 car seats. I was told there was a really long wait for any with even 1 car seat. Then they told me that I can sit the kids on our laps, with the seat belt around both of us I told them, no, the kids are 3.5 and 1.5yrs and they told me that was ok. I was told in QLD it is ok to sit kids on your lap IN THE SAME SEAT BELT if there is no baby seat. WTF! Is this right? Are you kidding me???? I said no thanks of course.

Surely that can't be right, can it? Unbelievable.

[~*Niadalla*~]

In Vic I'm pretty sure they don't even have car seats anymore and you either hold your children or they have their own seat. It's a bit freaky. Glad I don't have to use taxis.

[Jaycee]

I think that's the law Australia wide! So glad I've never needed a taxi with children!

[Butterfly Dawn]

If there is a demand then why aren't the cab company's buying more carseats?

[Heaven]

It's crazyness!! I never catch taxi's but had someone visiting and DH forgot to leave the car seats so thought we might just taxi to the shops, nope!

How is it that the law can change just coz you're in a taxi??

[emmjayt]

Eeek. I'm going to need a taxi on the Gold Coast in January to get to the airport. That's really scary

[Phteven]

Bollocks!!

From the RTA website

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety...laws_faqs.html

Do we need a child restraint in taxis and buses?
Taxis

Taxi drivers must ensure:

All passengers younger than 12 months must be secured in a child restraint.
All passengers aged over 12 months and under 16 years must:
occupy a seating position that is fitted with a suitable seatbelt, and
not occupy the same seating position as another passenger (whether or not the other passenger is exempt from wearing a seatbelt under rule 267), and
wear the seatbelt properly adjusted and fastened.
No passenger under four years old is in the front seat and a child four years or older but under seven years may only sit in the front row if all of the other seats in the row or rows behind the front row are occupied by passengers who are also under seven years old.

Tell them they can provide you with a proper seat or they can deal with the Dept of Fair Trading.

[Doing my best]

They don't need to supply the restraint (and personally I wouldn't use a restraint I don't know the history of), but have the anchor points for parents/carers to fit the seat before traveling. When using a taxi, for us, it has been on holidays when we didn't have the hire car for short periods, but have had our carseats, so haven't actually faced having to ask for one.

[surprised]

Bollocks!!


Tell them they can provide you with a proper seat or they can deal with the Dept of Fair Trading.

But don't the laws differ from state to state? I was told the same thing about putting them on your lap in Qld, so I have booked a hire car!

[TeniBear]

This is what I found for Queensland:

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/Dri...questions.aspx

It looks like the rules are a bit hazy. It doesn't say its the law to have a seat in a taxi, more that you *should*.

[Phteven]

For some reason I thought the OP was going to Sydney

I've traveled with child seats before. I put them on the plane seat with the plane seat belt to hold it down and then used them in taxis, hire cars etc. I've also seen people putting them through with their luggage.

I've had some very dodgy seats with hire cars over the years. Some that looked like antiques and some that have been totally age inappropriate (a booster seat for a 6 month old ) and one that smelt very strange.

[briggsy's girl]

Drivers/company will put off supplying car seats as they are not obliged to do so. They don't keep them in the cars at all (theft risk) so a call fit a taxi plus seats requires driver to go out if their way to go back to base to collect seats, pick up the fate, then back to base to return seats. They don't get paid, and actually lose money for the time to go back to base and install seats and then return and remove them (fuel costs etc) so most will say no to the fare. The only obligation is to provide an anchor point for you to use I think

I know here (small town) bookings asking for car seat are not high on the list of wanted jobs by the drivers. And base is, at worst, 6km from a pick up in town. None of the drivers have an issue if you use your own though. If we are going to be out where we need to taxi it home we pull the seat out of our car and put it in the taxi. Takes about three minutes. Drivers are usually helpful with dropping seats to get to anchor points ( we only have station wagon taxis here)

[~clover~]

That states only under 12 months though Onyx. So once they're 12 months I assume they are supposed to just sit in a seat with a seat belt??

I do want to point out that there are people who do the wrong thing & they do sit with their child on their lap, & if anyone reading this ever does it for what ever reason DON'T SHARE THE SEAT BELT. In the event of an accident you could crush your child. If for God knows what reason it must be done, have the child on your lap, out of the seat belt.
I'm not condoning this in any way, but I think its something that people need to know.

I've only ever used a taxi needing a seat once when DD1 was 5 months old & it was provided. It was also reversable. I didn't take a car seat on the plane with me, but had DD3's with my luggage when we travelled. Car seats etc are free to travel on planes.

[Heaven]

I thought that too clover, that they shouldn't be in the seat belt with you because that was even more dangerous but they told me to do it that way a number of times!!!! Crazyness.

[glenny_c]

I believe that as taxis are classed as public transport you don't need proper child seats. Same rules as buses,

[Sagres]

In know is South Australia this is the case, you can legally have them sitting on your lap. In the event I've needed a taxi I've just found other ways around it because that is not cool with me. There are companies around who can provide transportation and car seats that you can pre-book. They might cost a bit more than a taxi but not tonnes more.

[Cass72]

Not sure where you are but I'm in the ACT.

I had to get my car serviced and thought I would catch a taxi with DS2 from the mechanic to work rather than waiting for the bus. Big mistake!

To give them credit the taxi company called me after 15 minutes and said there was a delay as I had requested a carseat but one was on it's way from the airport and should be there within 12 minutes.
After another 15 minutes I got another call to say that the taxi had taken another fare and, that they would dispatch another taxi.
A further 10 minutes later I got yet another call to say that they were having difficulty in getting a taxi with a "capsule" and, could the child sit on my lap.
I politely explained that the child was 2 years old and, as far as I was aware, it was the law that a child must be properly restrained in a car/booster seat until the age of 7. He said, so that's a no then.

After booking a taxi (with a child restraint) we were finally on our way one & half hours later!

I asked the driver to wait whilst I adjusted the seat and made sure that it was properly secured. I was a nervous wreck by time we got out of the taxi. Never EVER again!!

Just found this on the ACT Government website and, I am utterly appalled! ARE TAXI'S SOMEHOW MAGICALLY EXEMPT FROM CAR ACCIDENTS? What if this was your only way of transport and your child was injured (or, God forbid, killed) in a car accident because by law the child was not required to be properly restrained?

Do we need a child restraint in a taxi?
The ACT's laws do not mandate the use of a baby capsule, child restraint or booster seat in a taxi. In the ACT, taxi drivers are exempt from the child restraint laws that apply to the carriage of children under 7 years in motor vehicles, where a suitable baby capsule, child restraint or booster seat is not available. However, a child under the age of 7 years must not be carried in the front seat of a taxi. The road transport laws require that all taxis must be fitted with at least one child restraint anchorage bolt, so that a person in charge of a young child may provide his or her own baby capsule, child restraint or booster seat for installation in the taxi. If you can, take your child's restraint with you. Most ACT taxis carry a child safety harness (H-harness) which can be used without a booster seat.

[Cass72]

As an aside, I was charged for the use of the carseat.