Which Restraint Your Child Needs
Parents search for this half a dozen different ways, and the words mean different things. Here is what we can fit and roughly who each one suits.
Baby Capsule, Newborn to About Six Months
A rear facing capsule that clips into a base. This is the one for a newborn coming home or a first flight, and it is the restraint most worth booking ahead because a driver cannot improvise it.
Rear Facing Seat, Roughly Six Months to Two Years
A convertible seat kept in the rear facing position. Bigger than a capsule and stays in the car rather than lifting out with the child.
Forward Facing Seat, Roughly Two to Four Years
A harnessed seat turned to face the front. Tell us the age and we will fit this rather than a booster, since a harness and a seatbelt are not the same protection at that size.
Booster Seat, Roughly Four to Seven Years
Lifts the child so the adult seatbelt sits across the shoulder and hips properly instead of across the neck.
The Law in Victoria, Plainly
Taxis in Victoria are exempt from some of the child restraint rules that apply to private cars, which surprises most people. A child under one must still be in an approved restraint. Over that age the exemption technically allows travel without one in the back seat.
Exempt is not the same as safe. A properly fitted seat is meaningfully better protection, it costs nothing to request, and we would rather fit one than lean on a technicality.
How to Book a Taxi With Car Seat Fitted
Tick the child seat option in the booking form and tell us the age in the notes. That is the whole process. The request reaches the driver before they are dispatched, so the seat is in and adjusted by the time the car reaches you.
For an early flight or a hospital appointment, book the night before rather than calling on the day. There are only so many capsules in the fleet at six in the morning.
Bringing Your Own
Perfectly fine, and the driver will help fit it. If you are flying out and need the seat at the other end anyway, bringing yours is usually the simpler plan.