Carrying children
The safest way for a child to travel by car is in an appropriate car seat. It is however unreasonable and impractical for a taxi or private hire vehicle to carry a range of seats to meet the possible needs of all passengers. If the correct child car seat has not been provided, the law allows children to travel in taxis and private hire vehicles, but only if they travel on a rear seat; children under three can travel in a rear seat without a seat belt, and children who are three or older must wear an adult seat belt.
Children aged 3 and over should always count towards the licensed capacity of the vehicle because if an appropriate car seat is not available, they must wear an adult seat belt. Children under the age of 3 do not need to wear an adult seatbelt when an appropriate car seat is not available, so they do not need to count towards the licensed capacity. Licensing authorities should provide advice to licensees on its policy on the carriage of children under three years to provide certainty in terms of overloading and refusal of carriage in such situations.