Travelling with Children in Melbourne

Since moving into the Melbourne transport market we have noticed some similarities but also some differences compared to our experiences in Perth.

In Perth it is still legal for Children off all ages to travel unsecured (without car seats) in both Taxis and Rideshare vehicles. This is clearly a huge risk that families take on if they use taxi/rideshare without child restraints, but drivers are beginning to refuse to transport families due to the potential risks. A recent customer of ours was unable to get the first taxi in the rank at the airport to take herself and two children and her requested Uber driver also declined to driver her. Regulations in WA must change to increase the numbers of vehicles with car seats on the road to give families more freedom. I could think of nothing worse than being delayed by the system after a long flight with restless kids!

In Melbourne they have jumped one step ahead. No children under 12 months are able to be transported without a child restraint. Not in passenger vehicles. Not in Taxis. Not in Rideshare. If they are under 6 months they must be in a Rear-facing Child Seat. If they are over 6 months but under 12 months they must have at minimum a Forward-facing seat (although we would recommend a Rear-facing seat). It gets even more serious for Rideshare, which is bound by the same rules as all Passenger vehicles; Must be Rear-facing until 6 months, Must be AT LEAST Forward-facing until 4 years and must be AT LEAST a booster seat between 4-7 years.