When you are taking your child with you when you have to go somewhere, you often have to bring along a few things that you wouldn’t have brought otherwise. You could have a diaper bag full of items like their favorite toys, extra clothes, and a few diapers and wipes.
When you are driving to your destination, you could also have to secure a car seat in the vehicle. However, if you don’t have a car, then using a ride-share service might make you wonder if you can bring the car seat into the vehicle at all. Well, we can help!
So, can you put a car seat in an Uber?
Uber allows parents to bring their own car seats as long as they handle the insertion and removal of the seat themselves. In certain regions, Uber is also testing a Family/Car seat option that provides a car seat for a small fee.
However, there are some reasons why doing this is not the easiest option for parents. So, we will discuss the pros and cons and offer some other solutions for those who decide that they don’t want to bring along a car seat of their own.
Bring Your Own Car Seat
When you use Uber to pick you up and take you where you want to go, bringing along a car seat might not feel like something that is allowed for riders. However, this isn’t an issue that you need to worry about.
Uber drivers pick up all kinds of people, and many parents may need to bring along their young children. So, Uber allows parents to bring their own car seats as long as they handle the insertion and removal of the seat themselves.
You shouldn’t assume that bringing a car seat and getting help from the driver is expected. Their job is simply to pick you up and drive you to your destination, not to help you put in a car seat.
So, just know that if you need to take your child along for the ride, you can bring their car seat. Just secure it and take it with you when you leave the vehicle.
Issues With This Method
Having an Uber pick you up is simple and easy. However, because you don’t have your own vehicle, you have to take the car seat with you when you get to your destination.
This may not be convenient as you will need to carry it with you wherever you go. If you were going to the grocery store, this would be a hassle to deal with as you lug it around or have it take up space in your cart.
If you are going to a friend’s house, this might not be as big of an issue because they will likely take the car seat and set it aside for you for when you are ready to get an Uber home. However, this isn’t a workable solution for many other situations.
So, if this will not work for you, then what else can you do?
Well, there is another solution that will work much better for parents who can’t carry the seat around after the ride is done.
Uber Family/Car Seat Option
If you know that you will be taking your child who still needs to be in a car seat, then you can use the Uber app to call a car that has one already. There are Uber drivers that prepare for families who need a car seat for a child and they will have one secured in the vehicle for you.
When you are on the Uber app, you can choose the Family/Car Seat option from the choices. This will allow you to find drivers that offer a car seat already in their vehicle so you can secure your child in the car without needing to bring the seat with you when the ride is over.
This is a great solution for parents who don’t have their own vehicles and need an option that will be able to provide a car seat for them. However, there can be some downsides to relying on this approach as well.
Issues With The Family/Car Seat Option
When you need to find a ride, it depends on who is available at that specific time. The drivers that will take you as a passenger also have to be near your current location.
If there are certain parameters that narrow down the number of drivers that will take your ride, this could mean that you don’t have anyone available at the time that you need it.
If you live in a densely populated area where there are many Uber drivers working at any time, then this might not be a big issue for you. But, if you live in a more rural area where there are fewer drivers available, then this could end up being a major problem.
This could cause you to have to wait for a new driver to become available before you are able to get a ride, and that could take some time. If you need to be somewhere at a certain time, then this could make you late.
So, although this is a great option, there could be some drawbacks if you have to wait around for someone who has a car seat available.
Other Potential Issues
Although this does seem like a good solution for families and parents, there are some more drawbacks that you should know about.
Besides the possible wait time that you could deal with, there is also an extra charge added to your rideshare fare. A ten-dollar charge is added when you choose to ride in a car with an equipped car seat, so you will be paying more if you choose this method.
If you bring your own car seat, there is no extra charge added because the seat is not being provided for you. So, if you want to save some money on a round-trip ride, you will save twenty bucks by bringing your own car seat.
This seems pretty steep for something that is fairly small, and many parents might not be able to cover that extra fee for a ride every time that they need to use Uber.
Also, another issue that will affect your ability to use this service is the fact that it is not yet widespread. Although there are a few select areas that will provide this service for families, not all areas can access this option.
It is only available in a few areas across the US and cannot be used in areas where the car seat option is not available. This can make it difficult for families in certain areas to be able to find someone that offers this service.
Until this becomes a widespread option that anyone can use when they need it, it won’t be an option if it is not yet available where you live.
Weigh Your Options
If you need to take your child with you, but the car seat option for Uber is not available, then you might have to bring a car seat with you. However, depending on the age and weight of your child, you could use a booster seat instead.
If you are comfortable using a booster seat, which is much smaller and easier to carry around with you, then this could be a solution that allows you to use a regular Uber vehicle without having to have a full car seat with you.
It is much lighter and can be carried around with much less effort, so this could be a good option for those with children who are transitioning out of the car seat and into a booster seat.
Final Words
You no longer have to wonder about whether you should bring a car seat with you on your next Uber ride because you now know that there is no reason that you wouldn’t be able to take it in the car with you.
Uber drivers don’t have to supply a car seat for you, but if you decide to bring one along and secure it yourself, then you can take your child along with you to your destination.
Also, because you are bringing your own car seat, there is never an extra charge added to your fare, as with the car seat option on the Uber app.
So, the next time that you call up an Uber driver to take you somewhere and want to bring your child along with you for company, you can do so for the same cost as going alone.
This can save you money on babysitting costs when you want to go somewhere too, so there are a few added benefits as well.
Just make sure to figure out what you will do with the car seat after you get there so you are not stuck carrying around that hunk of plastic the whole trip.
