🚕 Traveling in Sydney with young children? One of the first questions parents often ask is whether taxis or Uber require a child car seat in Australia.
Unlike Japan and many other countries, where taxis allow infants and toddlers to ride without one, the rules in Australia are much stricter, with detailed requirements that vary by state. If you’re heading to Sydney (New South Wales), it’s important to know the local laws before you book a ride.
😄 Hello, my name is Takeru. I’m a travel blogger based in Japan, and during my family trip to Australia in February 2023, I visited Sydney and the Gold Coast with my two young daughters—one was 3 years old and the other just 9 months old at the time.
As a parent traveling abroad, I quickly realized how confusing child seat regulations can be, since the rules differ from state to state.
💡 To make things clearer for other families, I researched the official government sources and summarized the rules for two of the states I stayed in most recently:
✅ Queensland (QLD) – Brisbane, Cairns, the Gold Coast, and beyond
⚠️ As a general rule, Australia requires that child car seats meet Australian Safety Standards. This means that if you bring your own seat from overseas, it may not be legally approved for use in Australia. It’s something many international visitors overlook, but it’s important to be aware of before you travel.
Queensland – More Relaxed Child Car Seat Rules in Brisbane, Gold Coast & Cairns
Queensland is known for its sunny climate and some of Australia’s most popular family destinations — Brisbane, Cairns, and the Gold Coast.
💡 When it comes to transportation, the rules here are more relaxed compared to other states.
For families visiting these cities, child car seats are generally not required when traveling by public transport, taxis, or ridebooking services like Uber.
ℹ️ Below is an excerpt from the Queensland Government’s official website, which clearly outlines the current regulations regarding child restraints.
(Information confirmed as of October 2025.)
- Child restraints are not required on buses, trains or personalised transport services such as taxi, limousine and ride-booking services. A bus is a motor vehicle that can carry 13 or more people (including the driver).
- Although child restraints are not required in personalised transport services, if you give enough notice you may be able to pre-book these services with a child restraint. Alternatively you can use your own child restraint.
- If a child restraint is in the vehicle, the driver is responsible for ensuring the child is properly restrained.
- Children less than 1 year old can be held on the lap of someone 16 years or older. Children more than 1 year old and less than 7 years old can be restrained using a seat belt (but must not sit in the front seat if the vehicle has 2 or more rows of seats).
Source: Queensland Government – Official Website
(Exemptions from complying with standard child restraint laws)
👶 Queensland, children under one can sit on an adult’s lap, while older kids can use a seat belt in the back seat.
*Some rideshare or taxi services may provide a child restraint if requested in advance.
New South Wales – Stricter Child Car Seat Rules in Sydney
New South Wales is home to Sydney, Australia’s largest and busiest city.
If you’re planning to visit Sydney with young children, it’s essential to understand the child car seat laws before using taxis or rideshare services like Uber.
⚠️ Compared to Queensland, the rules here are much stricter and more complex, as the requirements differ depending on both the child’s age and the type of vehicle (taxi or Uber).
To make things easier to understand, I summarized the key information from the New South Wales Government’s official website and Uber’s official policy page into a simple comparison table below.
(Information confirmed as of October 2025.)
✅ In New South Wales, Uber vehicles are treated the same as private cars — meaning there are no exemptions like the ones that apply to taxis. This makes Uber less convenient for families traveling with infants or toddlers.
According to Uber’s official statement, most drivers do not carry child restraints unless they are part of a specific service like UberFAMILY:
Q: Am I expected to have a child seat in my car?A: No, unless you are part of a specific child-seat product you are not expected to have a child seat in your car. If you do have access to a child seat and would like to have it available to your riders, store it in the boot of the car so you can still accommodate a full car of adult riders and can access the child seat if/when needed.
Source: Uber – Official Website: NSW Seat Belt Laws / Frequently Asked Questions
From my own experience searching for rides in Sydney, I wasn’t able to find any UberFAMILY cars at all — so it’s best not to rely on that option when traveling with small children.
How to Explore Sydney Efficiently with Kids
If Uber isn’t a convenient option when traveling with small children, there are basically three ways to get around Sydney for sightseeing:
Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Bus
(Big Bus Tour Sydney) ✅ RecommendedRental Car
Taxi
✅ Best for Families:
For parents traveling with kids, the Big Bus Tour is by far the most efficient and stress-free way to explore Sydney’s main attractions. The open-top double-decker bus lets you hop on and off freely at over 30 stops around the city — covering nearly all of the key spots in one full day.
🚌 We used it ourselves for a full-day family adventure and managed to visit almost every major landmark in central Sydney without rushing. It’s convenient, kid-friendly, and budget-wise compared to other options.
💡 Tickets are available for 24 or 48 hoursBook your tickets on “Klook” or “Viator”.
📲 Online payment is simple with credit card.
(Apple Pay and Google Pay also supported.)
🚗 Why Not Drive?
Driving in central Sydney can be stressful, especially when it comes to finding parking. Many areas are crowded or have limited parking spaces, making rental cars impractical for short city trips.
🚕 What About Taxis?
Taxis are available near major hotels and attractions, but it’s surprisingly common to have trouble finding one right when you need it. For families with small children, waiting on the curb under the sun is the last thing you want during your vacation.
When you consider the parking hassle with rental cars and the unpredictable availability (and cost) of taxis, the Big Bus Sydney Hop-on Hop-off Tour stands out as the most efficient, flexible, and family-friendly way to see the city — all in a single day.
(We’ve also written a detailed review of the Big Bus Tour — check it out here for route maps and family tips!)
🇦🇺 Exploring Sydney for the first time can feel a bit overwhelming—there’s so much to see, from the icon[…]