Getting your family to and from your holiday destination can be a drag. If you're flying, then you may take some of the strain out of the travel experience for both you and your kids by taking a taxicab to and from the airport. Why is this a good idea, and what should you think about before booking a cab?
The Benefits of Booking a Taxicab
If you use a taxi to ferry your family to the airport and back home again after your holiday, then you may save money and reduce your stress levels. For example, you may simply find that it works out cheaper to hire a cab than to pay for airport parking for the duration of your trip. You also don't have to worry about leaving your car at the airport while you're away.
Having someone drive you to the airport and then pick you up again may also make this part of your trip less stressful. You don't have to worry about finding your car when you land back home or about driving when you and your kids are tired and fractious. Book a taxi, and you just have to load yourselves into it and let the driver do the work for you.
Taxis and Car Seats
If you have young kids who use car restraints or booster seats, then you may worry about whether you must or should use these devices in taxis. Bear in mind that the law regarding child restraints in taxis may be different to the rules you have to follow in your own car, depending on where you live. So, for example, in Victoria, taxis have to provide at least one restraint anchor point but don't have to provide child restraints themselves.
Even if you can put your kids in a taxi without restraints, you may prefer to keep things as safe as possible by using them. Taxi companies may, therefore, give you the following options:
- Providing cabs that come with their own child restraint or booster seats ready-fitted for your journey.
- Agreeing to let you use your own child restraints or boosters in a taxi.
Tip: if you use your own restraints or booster seats to get to and from the airport, you may be able to persuade the taxi company to store them for you while you're away. They'll then be ready for you for the trip back home.
If you're booking a taxi to get to the airport and will be travelling with kids, then talk to local taxi firms well in advance. Companies that have their own restraints or that have cars with enough anchor points to deal with multiple kids may book up quickly; you may be out of luck if you leave booking a cab to the last minute.