Do Georgian Taxis Offer Child Car Seats?
Many families in Tbilisi and other cities rely on taxis every day. During these trips, most parents face a critical concern: the safety of their children. Bringing along a personal car seat (or infant carrier) is often impractical, as it is usually heavy and cumbersome, and taxi drivers rarely provide additional space for installation.
Why is a car seat necessary?
A child’s body is far more vulnerable to injury than an adult’s. Their bones are still developing, muscles and limbs are weaker, and the head is proportionally heavier relative to the body. In the event of a collision, these factors dramatically increase the risk of serious injury.
A properly selected and installed car seat significantly reduces these risks:
- The risk of death drops by approximately 71% (according to CDC and NHTSA data);
- The likelihood of severe injury is 67% lower than traveling without a seatbelt;
- Choosing a seat appropriate for the child’s age and weight (0–13 kg, 9–18 kg, 15–36 kg, etc.) ensures maximum protection.
A child’s car seat functions like an adult’s seatbelt. Yet there is a crucial difference: while nearly no one travels without a seatbelt, in Georgia many parents are still forced to hold their child in a taxi or rely on a standard seatbelt. This practice poses a serious threat to the child’s safety.
In many countries, using a car seat in taxis is either mandatory or offered as an available service. In Georgia, however, such standards are almost nonexistent, leaving a significant gap in child safety measures.
Our experiment
To better understand the situation in Georgia, Labebe Boutique, in collaboration with the organization Your Car Seat, conducted a small experiment:
- We contacted taxi companies to ask whether they have vehicles equipped with car seats;
- We explored popular taxi apps, selecting the “child seat” option;
- We attempted to arrange car seat delivery through pre-booked rides.
The results were clear: not a single taxi company or app in Georgia offers car seat installation as a service.
This situation is particularly challenging for families without their own vehicle. They must either carry a heavy baby car seat with them—an inconvenient option for daily life—or transport their child without protection. Both scenarios are risky and underscore the urgent need for such a service in the Georgian market.
How do other countries handle this?
- United Kingdom – Children must travel in a car seat until age 12 or a height of 135 cm. Taxis are an exception, but Uber and other services provide a “car seat” option;
- Germany – Children under 12 years old or under 150 cm must use a car seat, including in taxis. Failure to comply with the law may result in fines;
- France – French safety regulations require children under 10 to sit in a designated car seat. Exceptions are rare, and in most taxis, the parent must occupy the passenger seat;
- USA – In New York, Uber offers vehicles with pre-installed Nuna child seats for an additional fee.
These examples clearly demonstrate that child safety is not only a personal responsibility for parents but also a service standard upheld in many countries.
Currently, no taxi company in Georgia provides car seat services, leaving child safety entirely in the hands of parents, dependent on their resources and improvisation.
