Taxi's with a 3 year old - Car Seats???

[jrt1176]

Do I need a car seat if I get a Taxi for my 3 y/o niece?

We will probably get a few taxi's to go to other resorts for dinner.

We may also get a Taxi to go shopping or to a restaurant off WDW property.

Will taxi's still take us without a car seat?

 

[astine75]

I took one in Chicago when my son was 3 and the driver had a booster in the trunk, the backless kind.

 

[mdurette]

For what is worth - just my opinion.....possibly because I am not from the city or take taxis much. But, for safety reasons I always ensure we have her in a car seat. Heck, we are going to SW for a day and I am renting a car to ensure she is safe. Just a quick fender bender can send her flying!

 

[libbyfoster]

im wondering the same thing, only i will have a 4yr old and an 8 month old.

 

[jrt1176]

I understand the risk.

But, people can get hurt doing anything...

Let's face it, we all grew up without the seats...it can be done!

I always have her in a seat when we drive, but this is my 1st vacation with her where I dont have my car or a rental.

 

[jekjones1558]

What do the child's parents say? When I travel with my niece to WDW we always bring a car seat. When she was little it was an airline approved one. Now that she is 6 it is a backless booster that we put in the overhead bin on the plane. It has never been a big deal.

 

[jrt1176]

My brother is coming with me. He would be ok with holding her or letting her sit next to him in the cab.

I'm organizing the trip, so I wanted to ask. I'm just not sure if cabs will let us?

 

[distherapy]

My brother is coming with me. He would be ok with holding her or letting her sit next to him in the cab.

I'm organizing the trip, so I wanted to ask. I'm just not sure if cabs will let us?

We took one with our 3 yo twins last year without carseats. We'd had it with the buses and just wanted to get back from DTD. The cab driver never blinked.

 

[newsliner1]

we took a taxi to universal 2years ago with my then 3 year old. the first cab stopped and called another one that came with a car seat. the driver said that children had to be in a safety seat.

 

[Jaymie]

We were in WDW last week and took a cab a few times. All the cabs we took had car seats and/or boosters in the trunk. One even had an infant car seat. I think being in Disneyworld, they see the huge demand for car seats. However, my son found the ride in the cab scarrier than riding the Tower of Terror.

But if they don't, I don't think it's the law that you use a car seat, in a cab. Not sure why, but I know that's the same where we live. The equivalent of Child Protective Services uses cabs when they have to remove a child from a home in an emergency situation, if they don't have a car seat.

 

[tjmw2727]

Florida law requires children 3 and under to be in a carseat and Florida is one of the few states that do not exempt taxi's, limo's etc from the child restraint laws.

Here is the quote:

“Every operator of a motor vehicle as defined herein, while transporting a child in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state, shall, if the child is 5 years of age or younger, provide for protection of the child by properly using a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device. For children aged through 3 years, such restraint device must be a separate carrier or a vehicle manufacturer's integrated child seat. For children aged 4 through 5 years, a separate carrier, an integrated child seat, or a seat belt may be used.”

TJ

 

[Jaymie]

Florida law requires children under 3 to be in a carseat and Florida is one of the few states that do not exempt taxi's, limo's etc from the child restraint laws.

Here is the quote:

“Every operator of a motor vehicle as defined herein, while transporting a child in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state, shall, if the child is 5 years of age or younger, provide for protection of the child by properly using a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device. For children aged through 3 years, such restraint device must be a separate carrier or a vehicle manufacturer's integrated child seat. For children aged 4 through 5 years, a separate carrier, an integrated child seat, or a seat belt may be used.”

TJ

That's good to know. That would also explain why all the taxis we rode in had car seats available. We were travelling with 3 kids that needed seats and had no problem getting them.

 

[DWFan4Life]

If ever I rent a car at Disney Care Center, Is there a car seat for my 3 year old DD? Have a nice day.

 

[Brian Noble]

Florida law requires children under 3 to be in a carseat and Florida is one of the few states that do not exempt taxi's, limo's etc from the child restraint laws.

True. But, if the parents are willing to look the other way, the cab driver often will be too. Cab drivers are not known for their strict adherence to traffic law.

If you rent a car, you can request a car seat. Usually, it is an additional daily charge.

 

[Markhamloco]

I was concerned about this as well so I called the Taxi company.

I was advised that there are taxis with Child seats as it is the law. There is no extra charge for the seats and the only issue is that there may be a delay if a taxi with these seats is not avail.

From the sounds of it, the car seats are readily available for the taxis.

Rental car agencies also have the car seats available, but @ approx $10 per, anyone with 2 young children will pay more for the seat rentals than the car itself!

~M

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

We've had no problem requesting a taxi with a carseat. We did it at both BC and GF recently. One of the CMs at the Valet desk called to request one for us.

At GF the next cabbie in the line didn't have a carseat so the CM told him we wanted to wait for one with a carseat. The cabbie was trying to convince us we didn't need it (DD is 3) and seemed pretty agitated that we weren't going to use him.

 

[Edd]

You probably did yourself a favor waiting. Usually the Mears cabs with no seats are shift cabs. That means they are not as clean and usually older cars. Those who carry seats are usually the drivers who lease their car (cab)weekly and take better care of the car.

 

[MegaDisney]

Well, the laws of physics are the same whether you are in a cab or in your own vehicle. There is no way in heck I'd stick my 3 year old in a taxi without a car seat. Not a booster, but a 5-point harness. A 3 year old is too young for a booster.

I know it's a pain, but take the carseat with you. It's the safer thing to do.

 

[kathi29]

Well, the laws of physics are the same whether you are in a cab or in your own vehicle. There is no way in heck I'd stick my 3 year old in a taxi without a car seat. Not a booster, but a 5-point harness. A 3 year old is too young for a booster.

I know it's a pain, but take the carseat with you. It's the safer thing to do.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it? It is too much of a hassle to take a car seat on the plane, or use one in a cab. After all, this is a vacation! The rules don't apply. I am thinking it would be a lot bigger hassle to travel with that wheelchair, or worse yet to cancel your vacation because you used that money to buy a casket.

 

[Brian Noble]

Personally, I like to drive around with my kids in the back of my pickup, with the top off. If they can't hang on when I take the corners, then it just wasn't meant to be.