Tips for Booking a Taxi with a Child Seat in Toronto
Taking a child to an appointment in Toronto is more complicated than just hailing a taxi to get anywhere else in the city; your own car has that child seat installed already. With a taxi, you might find yourself showing up with an exhausted child, waiting on the curb with the taxi driver wondering what’s going on, as it turns out they were never going to be prepared for a childseat!
Here’s all the information you need to know about booking an affordable, appropriate taxi with car seat Toronto.
1. Always Pre-Book Rather Than Hail
It’s the number one habit you should develop. Cabbies on the curb, and in fact most standard ride-share drivers, have absolutely no obligation to carry child seats and, even more commonly, aren’t equipped with them. Hailing down any cab on the street or requesting standard rideshare without specifically booking with the expectation of getting car seat almost always results in either the driver lacking one entirely, and according to Ontario legislation, infants and children simply cannot ride without adequate restraint, regardless of if they’re riding with a regular taxi driver or not.
Booking in advance, by even a couple of hours helps give the driver or company some room to make sure seats are available and installed correctly before your travel. For crucial travel, book at least 24 hours before such as an airport ride.
So in Toronto, there is absolutely no requirement for taxi drivers to be equipped with or use child car seats, and most parents travelling to Toronto from other provinces and countries, in particular, don’t realize this.
2. Specify Your Child's Age, Weight, and Height
A car seat is only good for a vehicle trip if it supports what your child needs — rear facing seat for a baby, facing forward with a strap to restrain a toddler, and a booster chair for older kids. If you’re looking to hire, provide the driver information such as age, weight and height instead of saying “car seat. The driver will have to hope she will just turn up with what will work for your child.
Choose Route and Days
Choose a route, date and time of your trip!
Choose a Car and Extras
Choose a car and additional services!
Complete the Booking Form
Fill in a simple booking form and go!
3. Confirm the Seat Type by Name
After you’ve filled in their basic personal info, ask your company in writing or verbally confirm they will be bringing the appropriate style of seat: a rear facing infant seat, a forward-facing harness seat, or a booster. Many parents hear “yes, we bring car seats,” and don’t press for more info, only to discover the company brings only booster seats and their child is only 3 years old.
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4. Ask About the Seat's Condition and Installation
Most taxi and car service companies will tell you with no hesitation that their seats have been cleaned, are in perfect condition and still have years of life left in them – most seats have expiration dates between six and 10 years and shouldn’t be used beyond the date. If asked, it’s certainly fine to find out when the seat was last inspected. Once the driver pulls up, do a quick check of the seat to make sure it’s in working order before buckling your baby into it. A last-minute seat that has been strapped in incorrectly may not do much better than nothing.
5. Build In Extra Time at Pickup
Putting a child seat in is no faster than hopping into a car! No matter if the seats in the car and ready for you, or if you need to clip it in: Add a few minutes to the car seat install – especially for airports where you’ve also got luggage, paperwork and maybe a stroller to worry about! It’s when you’re in a rush that errors happen.
6. Choose the Right Vehicle for Your Family Size
If you have multiple children requiring seats or travelling with excessive luggage, a normal sedan car may not accommodate you. In a bigger car like a van, several child seats can fit easily along with your baggage. You can avail this facility from most companies by mentioning the number of passengers and kids while booking.
7. Consider Bringing Your Own Seat for Peace of Mind
Other parents enjoy travelling in their own car seat whether it’s an infant car seat, a seat you and your child are familiar with and more comfortable in, etc. Our drivers are quite happy to help you fit your own car seat and if you mention at the time of booking that you would like your car seat to be used the driver will not pack their car seat.
8. Ask About Pricing Upfront
Your vehicle seat may be included in the overall charge, or you may pay an additional fee of just a small cost. Either one, it really pays to check about this fee when you go ahead and book. After all you don’t want to get to your end position only to find it there is a cost for it. You can’t be afraid to ask that basic question.
Why This Matters More in Toronto Specifically
Given Toronto’s traffic-congested downtown area, its internationally busy international airport and so many families ferrying themselves to and from Pearson, child car seatAvailability is a frequent headache for city taxi companies. The best long-term Toronto taxi companies that know their way around family reservations generally maintain a well-publicized plan for car seats, rather than “hope for the best” service, and these are the ones you should be looking for if you find yourself taking kids in the back of an official taxi frequently enough to care about these things.
For a look at some of our most popular child seat options, how to meet Ontario car seat requirements and for instructions on how to book a guaranteed car seat on an available child-friendly cab we recommend you check out our handy guide to child car seats with a taxi in Toronto, in which we cover baby infant seats through child booster seat options.
Frequently Asked Questions
24 hours earlier is recommended.
Yes, you can.
No, not every taxi has a car seat available.
Not every time. Confirm at the time of booking.
Age, weight and preference of type of seat should be sufficient.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! You won’t break a sweat when you’re looking for a taxi with a car seat available in Toronto. The most important things to do are pre-book your taxi, book as early as you possibly can, tell the dispatcher about the baby’s size, stages, what kind of car seat, confirm with your driver that the car seat, etc is safe and usable, and make an additional five minutes to your travel time to accommodate for delays. You’ve now successfully taken one of the most anxiety-filled parts of family travel off of your plate – that gives you more time to worry about things such as souvenirs and where you’re going to go on vacation.
For a look at some of our most popular child seat options, how to meet Ontario car seat requirements and for instructions on how to book a guaranteed car seat on an available child-friendly cab we recommend you check out our handy guide to child car seats with a taxi in Toronto, in which we cover baby infant seats through child booster seat options.
