Car Seats in taxis/vans on various islands

[skywalkervadar]

Does anyone know if there are taxis or vans on the various islands that have car seats installed for small children (1 to 2 years old) or is it expected that if you want to go anywhere on the island, you must take your chances.

 

We have very strict car seat rules in Canada but on the 4 cruises I've been on down to the Caribbean before baby, I can't ever remember a van or taxi coming with a car seat.

[blindrid]

Never saw any.

[sail7seas]

I have never seen a taxi on any of the islands that had a car seat. It would be impractical. Most taxi count on having 2 (or more) passengers seated in the back seat. If they have a permanently installed car seat, there wouldn't be room for passengers.

 

I seriously doubt you will see any.

 

[Grannycb]

We are bringing our own. Let's hope we can find taxis with seatbelts! :eek:

[Krazy Kruizers]

You will need to bring your own -- AND hope that it will fit in the taxi/van -- the islands don't have the same size taxi/van as we have in the states -- and many of them don't have seat belts in the back seat.

[Betsy's Mom]

We lived in the Vi until last month and no taxi's or saffari buses/taxis have car seats, most do not have functioning seat belts, none in saffaris. Bringing car seats is a lost cause IMHO as there is nothing to attach them to. On the good side, speed limits are low and no one goes very fast. You just have to hold tight and have faith in your driver. Children must sit in the back of cabs.

B.

[Morgsmom]

I INFURIATED a line of cabbies in Cozumel once because I kept walking down the line looking for functioning seatbelts... it took some work, but I found one (and they yelled at me that I was violating their queue... too bad!)

 

There will be no car seats and, as another poster said, most likely NO WORKING seatbelts... If you stand your ground and tell the taxi dispatch that you will not go unless there are, they will find someone with a newer model car. Good luck!:eek:

[blindrid]

I INFURIATED a line of cabbies in Cozumel once because I kept walking down the line looking for functioning seatbelts... it took some work, but I found one (and they yelled at me that I was violating their queue... too bad!)

 

There will be no car seats and, as another poster said, most likely NO WORKING seatbelts... If you stand your ground and tell the taxi dispatch that you will not go unless there are, they will find someone with a newer model car. Good luck!:eek:

 

I can't believe this one - paranoia at it's best. We all ride in buses with no belts so what's the big deal? Why would one go through the hassle - grab a cab and go. All of us can certainly remember the days that there were no seatbelts in cars. As to the ports, the majority of places you go have minimal speed limits as well.

 

As to taking kids, it is the OP's call. Majority of the cabs on our last cruise were vans with no seatbelts. It's your call.

[Marie51]

Good luck with this one! The last time I was In Cozumel, we got in a van that had only one seat belt and there were 4 of us.

[skywalkervadar]

I was really just asking as matter of interest. I agree that we all grew up in a time when seat belts and car seats and a lot of the other rules of personal car safety didn't exist or were far more lenient but it's hardly being paranoid to buckle up, wear a helmut, look for a newer taxi with restraints or make a simple query as to whether or not these safety precautions exist in some form on the islands.

 

I don't expect the vans and taxis on the islands to comply to our vehicle safety laws (we're guests in their home afterall) but there's no harm in asking, is there?

[blindrid]

agreed.

[cruiserbryce]

not sure I would count on it...its not something we have ever noticed

[Amlee]

This reminds me of the cruise I took one of my cousins on. We get into the taxi in Freeport. She starts looking around, and I ask her what she is doing? She tells me she is looking for a seat belt. I point to the door of the van and tell her the door is being held to the van by bungee cords. Did she really think there was a seat belt anywhere?

[lilybug]

Taxis in the States don't have car seats. I've been in many taxis in the Caribbean and you are lucky they have seats!