Can I Get a Taxi With a Car Seat

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Take a Taxi Like a Pro

Posted in: Using Taxis

Before you take the taxi:

• Know your options:

  • If you're traveling in NYC, Philadelphia, or DC with a forward-facing child you don't have to bring a car seat if you use uberFAMILY – which for a $10 surcharge per ride provides one IMMI Go, a forward-facing car seat with a 5-point harness, that has been properly installed by the driver.

• Select the right seat

  • See here for car seats and boosters that we find are the most taxi-friendly

• Practice the installation:

  • Learn how to install your infant carrier without the base using our Taxi Videos section. It takes approximately 1 minute to correctly install most infant carriers without the base (once you've practiced a few times).

• Buckle 1st:

  • Buckle your baby tightly into her car seat before you go outside! This way, you'll avoid having to do up the straps on the curb or inside the taxi.

• Dress Properly:

  • In winter, dress your baby in thin tight layers and place a blanket or one of these car seat covers on top of her. Don't put the baby in a snowsuit. You'll avoid the baby overheating in the warm taxi and hopefully also avoid some crying–since you can just remove the blanket or open the cover once you're inside the cab.

• 

  Cybex Aton on Mountain Buggy Nano

  Stroller:

  • Take your lightest and most easily collapsible stroller with you. Let the driver put it in the trunk while you install the baby's car seat.

• Request, don't hail:

  • Instead of hailing a taxi on the street, use a service like Uber where you're likely to get a more patient driver… as since you rate the driver after the ride, the driver is more motivated to provide you with a good experience (and not yell and rush you as you install the baby's seat)

As you hail the taxi:

• Know your vehicle:

  • Be aware of the type of taxi you're in. For example, the Ford Escape SUV has such a tiny back seat that the rear-facing car seat touches the plexiglass divider, making installation a challenge.

• Center vs Side?

  

  Toddler rear-facing in Combi Coccoro in taxi

  • If you are worried about getting a tight installation, then you'll want to install the car seat on the side since the center tends to be the most challenging spot in the car to get a car seat tight. Tight on the side is safer than loose in the center.

• Keep door open

  • Do not close the taxi door until you have finished installing the car seat. Closing the door is a signal to the driver that you are ready to go.

• Start meter

  • Ask the driver to start the meter immediately and maybe even hand him a few dollars right away (just factor this into the tip at the end). This might show him that you respect his time and pacify him as you take the minute to install the baby's car seat.

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Can I Get a Taxi With a Car Seat

Source: https://thecarseatlady.com/taxi-tips/

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