uberFAMILY is where some Uber vehicles have a car seat.
The Car Seat Lady designed and implemented uberFAMILY in NYC, Philadelphia and DC – from its inception in April 2014 until June 2016. Starting late June 2016 a new company has taken over the program and they are not training the drivers in the same rigorous methods that we used. As such, we recommend that you carefully watch the installation videos here to familiarize yourself with the IMMI Go installation and watch as the driver installs it to make sure the installation is being done properly. We ONLY allowed a LATCH installation when we were training the drivers – and recommend that the IMMI Go never be installed with the seat belt as the seat belt installation is exceptionally challenging and prone to misuse with the IMMI Go.
In all NYC, Philly & DC, uberFAMILY offers 1 forward-facing 5-point-harness car seat per vehicle – the IMMI Go car seat.
Every vehicle has the same seat – the IMMI Go. The Car Seat Lady trained every driver (4/2014 – 6/2016) in the proper installation of the seat – and the driver will install the seat.
The straps on the IMMI Go tighten differently than any other car seat – so please watch this video BEFORE your first ride. We have trained every driver in how to secure a child properly in the seat – so if they see you struggling or doing something wrong they will offer assistance so that your child rides as safely as possible.
When you arrive, the seat should be set for the largest child – with the head rest & shoulder guides all the way up, and the harness straps all the way loose. In case the driver forgets, we show these 3 steps in the beginning of the following video – which then continues on to show how to buckle your child in the IMMI Go.
To ride in the IMMI Go, a child MUST be AT LEAST:
12 months old (IMMI Go seats made after Fall 2016 start at 24 months old, not 12 months) AND
22 pounds AND
31 inches
A child is TOO BIG for the IMMI Go when they are:
55 pounds OR
52 inches OR
their shoulders touch the shoulder guides (when the guides are up all the way)
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations are that kids remain rear-facing until AT LEAST 24 months, and hopefully longer. Studies show that rear-facing is 5 times safer than forward-facing and nearly eliminates the chance of brain and spinal cord injuries. We practice what we preach – we keep our own kids rear-facing as long as possible.
HOWEVER, we know that most parents don’t/won’t bring a car seat for a toddler or school age child into an Uber or taxi… which leaves most kids riding at tremendous risk as they’re typically held on a parent’s lap, belted in with a parent, or worn in a front carrier. None of these methods offers the child any protection – and surprisingly wearing the child or belting them in with you makes a really bad situation even worse.
Knowing that a car seat is ALWAYS better than no car seat, we feel it is best to allow the use of the Go within the range specified by the manufacturer so that more kids are riding restrained.
Please see our taxi page here for suggestions on infant car seats and boosters that are exceptionally taxi & travel friendly.
In NYC, select “uberX” with the sliding circular car at the bottom of the screen, and then swipe to the left (3 or 4 times) to select “Car Seat”.
In Philadelphia, select “BLACK CAR” or “SUV” with the sliding circular car at the bottom of the screen, and then slide to the left to select “BLACK CAR + Car Seat” or “SUV + CAR Seat”.
In DC, select “uberX or “BLACK CAR” with the sliding circular car at the bottom of the screen, and then slide to the left to select “uberX + Car Seat” or “BLACK CAR + Car Seat” or “SUV + Car Seat”.