Taxis with kids...

[jmcghee2024]

We live in a rural area so we don't have/use taxis so I have a question. My daughter is 5. In our state, she is required to have a booster seat in the car. If we use a taxi at DW (from POR to other resorts for meals), does she need a booster seat or anything??? Not sure if this is considered private property so state laws aren't an issue or how this works. Thanks!

 

[Greysword]

Not sure on this, so I looked in Google. The Orlando How-To website had this to say:

Orlando Taxicab Child Car Seat Law

Florida Statutes, Section 316.613 requires every operator of a motor vehicle transporting a child five (5) years of age or younger, to provide for the protection of the child by using a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device.

Any taxicab or vehicle for hire driver in Florida can be cited for violation of FSS 316.613, if he or she is operating a ten passenger or less vehicle and transporting a child under five without providing an appropriate child restraint device.


Our Recommendation

We recommend bringing your own child car seat for the following reasons

1) There is no guarantee the next taxi in line will have a child car restraint. This might involve calling ahead to make special arrangements with the taxi company.
2) It's good to know the history of the car restraint your child will riding in.
3) Personal hygiene should be tops on your list. A dirty car seat provided by your taxi driver is not a place for your toddler.

Also, I found a thread from a couple years ago on TripAdvisor about this topic:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g34515-i19-k4358728-Taxis_with_children-Orlando_Florida.html

In the end if your little one(s) are in a booster seat, I recommend bringing it/them, especially if they are simply the no-back version. We bring our for our DD6, as we carry it on the plane as her carry on (personal item is a kid's luggage bag that fits under the seat). We put the booster in the overhead bin (even on CRJs), then put stuff on top of it (coats if cool, backpack, souvenirs we carry on, food from the airport, etc). This ensures we have one, that is clean, and helps stake out our overhead bin space for stuff normally berated for placing up there.

If you want details on FL law, just look up the statute in the quote.

Good luck!

 

[figment_jii]

I think children 5 and under need to be in a car seat or booster. I found this link in an older Disboard thread (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2861423)

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes...ng=&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.613.html

If you end up using taxis, note that not all taxis have car seats or have car seats that are the right size for your child. If you do need a car seat, I would consider calling ahead to have a taxi waiting for you. In March, I was in a taxi and could read the dispatch scene and it was indicating that there was someone waiting for 45 minutes for a car seat equipped taxi to pick them up. Hopefully this is an anomaly, but just in case it's not...

 

[Alesia]

In Florida, children 3 and under need to be in car seats. That's it. Over the age of 3, they are only required to be in a seat belt.

I wouldn't be comfortable having a 5 year old in a taxi without a booster, and would rely on Disney transportation as much as possible, but you know what works best for your family.

 

[jmcghee2024]

Ok. Thanks. Our boosters are the full size versions and we are flying. Thinking we should stick to Disney transportation.