Question:car seats in taxis/buses

[jerseygirlinvt]

Just wondering???

What do all you past cruisers do for car seats on taxis or buses if we take an excursion? We booked a tour on St Martin that is an air conditioned bus(if I remember correctly) and then we were planning to take a taxi to one of the beaches...? I just thought of this now...do I have to bring our own carseat for my 3 year old??Thanks for all your help!
Kathy

 

[frakers]

I have a 19 month old and we will be carrying a "Tote-n-Go" portable carseat that I found on-line. It can fit into a suitcase or backpack to be used as needed. It's great for all kinds of trips and it was around $30. Some car services may have carseats you can use but I'm not certain. Plus I'm kinda funny about my child using items that I can't tell how clean they are so this is a great solution for us!

 

[TammyC]

Bumping to see if anyone else has anything to add.

Here in the US, carseats are not required in public transportation. Busses (at least none that I've seen) do not have seatbelts to use even if you brought your own carseat. It is a hard thing to accept that we need carseats to protect our kids in our own cars, but not in taxis!

 

[stancan]

The taxis and buses we took did not have seatbelts, most taxis don't even have doors and windows. If you want seat bealts you should rent your own vehicle, right on the pier , it cost $127. for the jeep.

 

[MarkLem]

For excursions, in general bring your own if you want a car seat. BUt don't count on the taxi/bus having seat belts. Some do, some don't

 

[jel0511]

On the Caribbean Islands, they don't have the same seatbelt and car seat laws we have her ein the US. So, it will be very difficult to find a cab that has any seat belts at all, most are open air with benches placed in the "bed" of a pick-up truck. It isn't a very safe way to travel IMO, but that is how things are there. If you're really worried, rent your own car in the ports of call, this way you'll ensure having a car with seatbelts. None of the busses in the Carribean will have seat belts either. I've been in a few taxi vans that you'd think have seat belts, but they're either damaged or ripped out.

 

[jerseygirlinvt]

Thank you everyone for your help...
Kathy

 

[frakers]

You know I didn't think about it when I placed my first response but it is true about the seatbelts, or lack thereof, outside the US. I never thought about it while in taxis and I don't have any experience with buses. However, we are still going to carry the Tote-n-Go carseat on the off-chance we'll come across some seatbelts but we won't be surprised either if we see none!