What are the rules about car seats when using rideshares or Ubers with kids?
Do I need a child seat for my kids or baby in a rideshare? Before having my baby, rideshares were easy, but now I need to know if I have to use a child seat for my baby or my kids when using rideshares?We know that rideshares such as Uber are relatively new and constantly changing. What are the rules around travelling with children in them? Do they differ in each state? And yes, they can be different for traditional taxis.
I don’t know where we’d all be without Uber and other rideshare companies. The rideshare line outside the airport is longer than the taxi queue nowadays, and we all depend on them so much.
Rideshares differ from taxis because you are driven from A to B in people’s private vehicles.
The law in Australia says that, in a private vehicle, you have to transport a child in an approved child seat that meets Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754 and is the correct type of child seat for their age and size until the child is at least seven years old and tall enough to wear an adult seatbelt. (See our handy correct child seat guide.)
If your child travels in a private vehicle or a friend’s or relative’s car, the same rules apply. But whether the same laws apply when travelling in a rideshare differs from state to state.
As a mum of two, family car journalist and founder of BabyDrive.com.au, I’ve travelled all over with my children, so to make it easier, I have put together this handy state-by-state guide to rideshare travel with kids and child seats around Australia:
Taking child seats in rideshares
Some of the major rideshare companies currently in Australia – Uber, Didi and Shebah – all say they offer varying services for travelling with children.
Didi says:
Didi is committed to promoting a safe ridesharing community for everyone, including families. This means if you’re travelling with a child (typically under seven years of age, but dependent on the laws in your state), they must be seated in a suitable and approved child restraint.
Because not all children are the same age and size, drivers are not expected to provide adequate restraints for children. Therefore, if you decide to travel with your child, you’re required to provide your own approved child restraint. Without a child restraint, you may not be able to take a trip with Didi.
Shebah is Australia’s leading all-women rideshare service and allows you to book a ride that will have the child seats your family needs pre-installed for your trip. The company says:
At Shebah, you can book a seat for your precious cargo, or multiple child seats or boosters when required. And dads, we’ve got you covered too. If your child is travelling in a child seat, we want to keep them safe and you’re welcome to travel too.
Shebah says it can also transport your unaccompanied minors:
Need to get your child to their after-school activities? Or transported to a family member’s house? Both parents working and need them picked up? These are common transport issues for many families, but Shebah’s got you covered. We take your children wherever they need to go with a friendly, female driver, and all our drivers have Working with Children Checks and Police Checks to give you and your family peace of mind.
Uber has ‘Uber Child Seat’ rideshares available in Melbourne and some other parts of Victoria, so you can book a vehicle with child seats installed and ready for your trip. The company says:
Uber has teamed up with Baby Bunting to train selected drivers to install two models of child seat. The driver will contact you to discuss which child seat is correct for your child. There is an extra charge of $9.99.
You can take your own child seats in all rideshares, but you need to be able to install them correctly yourself. Practising before your first trip so you can fit it quickly and safely when needed is a good idea.
If you are unsure whether the model of car your rideshare has allocated will fit your child seats in the back, you can look it up on babydrive.com.au and see how to fit your child seats in the back of most cars.
Private vehicle child-seat laws apply to rideshare services in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
They differ in Queensland and Western Australia.
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, NT, Tasmania and ACT
Private vehicle child-seat laws apply in these Australian jurisdictions when using rideshare and hire services for transporting babies, infants and children.
This means that all children must be in the correct size child restraint or booster seat for their height and age, and that it is properly adjusted and fastened. Those beyond child restraint or booster-seat height and age must use a correctly fastened and adjusted adult seatbelt.
Queensland
The same rules apply to rideshares and taxis in Queensland, where the state government says:
- Child restraints are not required on buses, trains or personalised transport services such as taxis, limousines and ride-booking services. A bus is a motor vehicle that can carry 13 or more people (including the driver).
- Although child restraints are not required in personalised transport services, if you give enough notice you may be able to pre-book these services with a child restraint. Alternatively, you can use your own child restraint.
- If a child restraint is in the vehicle, the driver is responsible for ensuring the child is properly restrained.
- Children less than one year old can be held on the lap of someone aged 16 years or older.
- Children more than one year old and less than seven years old can be restrained using a seatbelt (but must not sit in the front seat if the vehicle has two or more rows of seats).
Western Australia
The Western Australia government says the same laws for taxis apply to rideshare services:
- Drivers of taxis and rideshare services must ensure that children aged between one and seven years are restrained in standard seatbelts that are properly adjusted and securely fastened to the best extent possible, given the height and weight of the passenger.
- There is no requirement for children aged between one and seven years to be secured in a child car restraint while travelling in taxis or rideshare vehicles; however, the appropriate restraint is the safest option.
- A child aged less than one year can be held on the lap of a parent or caregiver aged 16 years or over while travelling in a taxi or rideshare vehicle but cannot share the seatbelt.
If you are looking for other travel options for your family, then see our guide to using taxis with kids.
Related: I’m moving to Australia… What do I need to know about child seats?
Related: Driving at night with kids: the do’s and don’ts
Related: Which six, seven and eight seat family SUVs have side curtain airbags in the third-row?
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