Uber and your own carseat?

[musika]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question. We don't have uber or lyft in our market so this is all new to me. We have a 7 (almost 8) year old and a 4.5 year old. By my reading of the car seat laws in Florida, that means legally only the 4.5 year old needs a booster. (At home we are much more strict!)

For the limited amount of times we need transport (maybe 3-4, relying mostly on Disney transport), our thought was to bring a low back booster with us from home rather than paying the surcharge every time for a seat. Would this be an issue with a regular Uber pickup (rather than requesting an Uber with a carseat? It doesn't get installed, it just sits on the seat essentially as a belt positioner. It will be a slight pain in the butt to lug around, but as it's just a couple of trips we were willing to suck it up (Can't buy those bubble bum ones here in Canada).

Thoughts or experiences?

 

[joelkfla]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question. We don't have uber or lyft in our market so this is all new to me. We have a 7 (almost 8) year old and a 4.5 year old. By my reading of the car seat laws in Florida, that means legally only the 4.5 year old needs a booster. (At home we are much more strict!)

For the limited amount of times we need transport (maybe 3-4, relying mostly on Disney transport), our thought was to bring a low back booster with us from home rather than paying the surcharge every time for a seat. Would this be an issue with a regular Uber pickup (rather than requesting an Uber with a carseat? It doesn't get installed, it just sits on the seat essentially as a belt positioner. It will be a slight pain in the butt to lug around, but as it's just a couple of trips we were willing to suck it up (Can't buy those bubble bum ones here in Canada).

Thoughts or experiences?

No, it won't be a problem as long as there are no parts that could damage the seat underneath it.

 

[starry_solo]

The issue you might have is that you may need a larger vehicle, depending on whether someone can sit in the seat right next to the booster.

 

[JimMIA]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question. We don't have uber or lyft in our market so this is all new to me. We have a 7 (almost 8) year old and a 4.5 year old. By my reading of the car seat laws in Florida, that means legally only the 4.5 year old needs a booster. (At home we are much more strict!)

For the limited amount of times we need transport (maybe 3-4, relying mostly on Disney transport), our thought was to bring a low back booster with us from home rather than paying the surcharge every time for a seat. Would this be an issue with a regular Uber pickup (rather than requesting an Uber with a carseat? It doesn't get installed, it just sits on the seat essentially as a belt positioner. It will be a slight pain in the butt to lug around, but as it's just a couple of trips we were willing to suck it up (Can't buy those bubble bum ones here in Canada).

Thoughts or experiences?

Your plan is actually the best way to handle that situation. You will save $8 per ride and will have much greater availability without worrying about whether an Uber with car seat is nearby.

Uber X vehicles are required to seat 4 passengers with seatbelts at a minimum, so you should not have any difficulty unless you are carrying a bunch of stuff with you (like luggage, strollers, etc.). You will put the booster in the rear passenger side seat, the other child in the middle of the back seat and one adult in back, one in the front passenger seat. Should be no problem.

With kids that age, you might want to consider one MinnieVan ride, just for the experience. MV are ordered on the Lyft app, so you'll need that. MV fares are expensive, but might be worth it for the kids.

 

[Rinstah]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question. We don't have uber or lyft in our market so this is all new to me. We have a 7 (almost 8) year old and a 4.5 year old. By my reading of the car seat laws in Florida, that means legally only the 4.5 year old needs a booster. (At home we are much more strict!)

For the limited amount of times we need transport (maybe 3-4, relying mostly on Disney transport), our thought was to bring a low back booster with us from home rather than paying the surcharge every time for a seat. Would this be an issue with a regular Uber pickup (rather than requesting an Uber with a carseat? It doesn't get installed, it just sits on the seat essentially as a belt positioner. It will be a slight pain in the butt to lug around, but as it's just a couple of trips we were willing to suck it up (Can't buy those bubble bum ones here in Canada).

Thoughts or experiences?

You can get mifold boosters here in Canada. A friend of mine ordered them to take to Disney last year. It might be an option for you? https://www.amazon.ca/mifold-Mifold...ocphy=9000057&hvtargid=pla-840612081105&psc=1

 

[wmcyip]

We use the ride safe travel vest for both our kids beats having to carry booster. Light and packs flat into a backpack. Tucks into the carryon luggage.
At home we use it in conjunction with the booster on the younger child as she likes to lean out and reach over to her brother and the vest keeps the shoulder strap in place.


https://ridesafertravelvest.com/

 

[dawnball]

I uber a lot with a kid in a carseat. My routine is to text the driver as soon as one is assigned. "Hi, we're under the portico at Pop Century. I'm the one with a bright purple backpack. FYI, I'll need a couple of minutes to install the carseat."

That lets them cancel and I'll get a new driver if they really hate kids, which I don't expect to see at WDW. It tells them where to find me, and lets them know to stop in a place that's safe to install, instead of expecting the usual pile-in and roll. Also, in my location, drivers don't like to argue about toddlers needing carseats, so sometimes they'll do a drive-by cancel if they see a kid and no car seat.

In your case, I'd change it to say "We need to install a booster, but it only takes a few seconds."

Not an issue at all, but I like to smooth the way as much as possible.

 

[musika]

@dawnball that is excellent advice thanks so much

 

[JimMIA]

I uber a lot with a kid in a carseat. My routine is to text the driver as soon as one is assigned. "Hi, we're under the portico at Pop Century. I'm the one with a bright purple backpack. FYI, I'll need a couple of minutes to install the carseat."

That lets them cancel and I'll get a new driver if they really hate kids, which I don't expect to see at WDW. It tells them where to find me, and lets them know to stop in a place that's safe to install, instead of expecting the usual pile-in and roll.

Good approach, because some places are safe to stop for a few seconds but not for an extended period.

Also, in my location, drivers don't like to argue about toddlers needing carseats, so sometimes they'll do a drive-by cancel if they see a kid and no car seat.

You probably know this already, but for other readers...

It is Uber's policy that we will NOT transport children without locally-required carseats. Laws vary very widely from state to state, so what you get at home may be different at WDW.

Under Florida law, the onus is actually on the parent. If you get stopped, it is the parent, not the driver, who will get the ticket for no car seat if one is required.

But regardless of the local law, Uber's policy is that if a car seat is required, you do NOT transport the kid without one.