Uber Launches Child Seats Pilot Program Across Melbourne

Parents and guardians will be able to request Ubers with child and baby seats under a new trial launching Tuesday.

About 100 cars across Melbourne will have child seats installed, with the plan if all goes well, to increase this to 500 before rolling out the service Australia-wide.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The Victorian Briefing - keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:

In Victoria, children do not require a car seat when travelling in a taxi, but one is permitted when using rideshare options – making Uber and other services impossible for young families.

Uber Australia and New Zealand general manager Dom Taylor told News Corp Melbourne was selected as the test city because of its high density of family households.

“We know there’s huge demand for family friendly rides and at Uber we want to support Aussie families to move around as easily and safely as possible,” he said.

“Uber Child Seats has huge potential to make transport more convenient for many Aussie parents and guardians, while supporting driver-partners with more earning opportunities during the daytime, when most families travel.

“Along with the driver-partners involved in the pilot, we’re excited to be bringing this safe and convenient transport option to Melbourne families.”

Families requesting a car seat will inquire an additional fee of $9.99 on top of their service to cover for additional expenses.

Vehicles equipped with car seats can carry a maximum of five passengers, including two children.

From The Saturday Paper and LiSTNR comes Post: News in Five, a daily podcast bringing you the top five news headlines in just five minutes. Hear it on the LiSTNR app today.