Baby Seat Taxi Melbourne: Child Seats, Rules and How to Book One

Getting around Melbourne with a baby or toddler is mostly a logistics problem: the restraint, the pram, the bags, and a car that is actually expecting all three. Here is how child seats work in Victorian taxis and how to book a cab that arrives ready.

The rules in plain English

In a private car, Victorian road rules require every child under seven to be in an approved child restraint suited to their age. Taxis are treated differently under those rules: children can legally travel without a restraint in some circumstances, and under-sevens must not sit in the front seat when a back seat is available. Legal, though, is not the same as safest — if you have a capsule or seat with you, use it.

• Under 6 months — rear-facing capsule is the safest option; bring your own if you have one.
• 6 months to 4 years — rear or forward-facing seat with an inbuilt harness.
• 4 to 7 years — forward-facing seat or a booster with a properly positioned seatbelt.
• 7 and over — an adult seatbelt is fine, back seat preferred.

What to tell us when you book

Child restraints are fitted on request, not carried in every car by default, so the booking note matters. Tell us the child's age and whether you are bringing your own seat, and we will allocate a vehicle and allow the extra few minutes for fitting.

Airport runs with kids

Melbourne Airport is the trip where this most often goes wrong. Rank taxis are not fitted with capsules, and juggling a restraint in the arrivals queue with a tired toddler is nobody's idea of a good start. Pre-book instead: we track your flight, meet you at T1, T2, T3 or T4, and the seat is already in the car. Prams travel in the boot, and a Premium SUV or 11-seat Maxi handles a full-size pram plus luggage comfortably.

Which vehicle suits a family

• Premium Sedan — one child seat, compact pram, two adults.
• Premium SUV — two seats across the back row, full-size pram, holiday luggage.
• Maxi (11 seater) — multiple families, grandparents, sliding doors and a low step for loading kids.

What it costs

Fares follow the regulated Victorian metered rates — flag fall, a per-kilometre rate above 21 km/h and a per-minute rate below it — with tolls and the airport pickup fee where they apply. There is no surge pricing, and our booking form shows an estimate before you confirm. Add a note for the child seat and call dispatch on 0493 100 265 if you would rather arrange it by phone.