Taxi with children in The Hague: car seats, luggage and what to mention when booking

In an ordinary car, a child shorter than 1.35 metres must travel in an approved child seat, secured with the seatbelt. Dutch law makes an exception for taxis: that requirement doesn't apply here, not even for babies and toddlers. One rule still stands: without a child seat fitted, a child shorter than 1.35 metres can't sit in the front. So your child travels in the back.

In the back, a child from around age 3 simply uses the seatbelt, the same as an adult. Younger than that, they're welcome to travel on a lap with us. That's not a loophole: the law recognises that a taxi isn't a car you fit a seat into ahead of a twenty-minute ride, and treats that ride differently from the daily drive to daycare in your own car.

If you'd rather use a seat anyway, that's fine: bring your own child seat. We don't carry one ourselves. The BYD Seal we drive has one fixed layout, and we keep that boot space free for luggage instead of a seat that would sit empty on most rides. Show up with your own seat and the driver fits it before you get in.

The car's standard capacity is 4 passengers with 2 large suitcases, no surcharge. Travelling with children often adds something to that: a stroller, a travel cot or a wheelchair alongside the regular luggage.

A stroller usually still fits alongside two suitcases, but it's not guaranteed: a folded buggy's shape and size differ quite a bit from a suitcase's, and sometimes the boot is already full before everything else goes in. Mention it in advance, just as you would a third large suitcase or beach gear: then we know upfront whether it fits in one car or whether we need to arrange something else.

Children don't cost extra. The fare follows the standard rate, regardless of how many of the four passengers are children. A family with two kids pays the same metered fare or fixed airport price as four adults on the same route.

The booking form has a notes field, meant by default for a flight number or something about your luggage. You can also use it to say you're bringing your own child seat, that a stroller is coming along, or that you're travelling with more than two children. The earlier we know, the less needs sorting out on the doorstep.

Booking last minute, or only realised after booking? Just message or call us. That works just as well as the form, and is usually faster than filling it in again.

If you travel with children regularly, say for school, sports or a fixed daycare run, a regular driver is easier than explaining what fits in the car every single time. Same driver, same car, and the routine only needs explaining once.

That's also where the difference with an ordinary taxi company shows: it spreads rides across a pool and doesn't know who's driving until the booking is accepted. With a regular driver, your child gets into the same car with the same person every time, with the same agreements about the seat or the stroller already in place.

We're at the door five minutes ahead of the agreed time by default. Getting in tends to take a bit longer with children than with two adults: fitting a seat, folding a buggy, one last bathroom stop. Build those extra minutes in if you've got a tight connection, for instance to Schiphol.

There's one car and one layout, so no surprises about the type of seat or the amount of space: the BYD Seal that shows up is the same car as in the photos on this site, every time.