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Original poster

Would you put a 10 year old in a taxi alone?

92 replies

Himitsu · 08/06/2024 15:08

My daughter has a club she really loves however my husbands hours have changed which means he’s is now at work. I won’t have time to go home and collect her and take her to her club before then going to collect my younger one from nursery.

Trying to think of ways to get her there! Would you feel comfortable with this?

OP posts:
Roselilly36 · 08/06/2024 19:39

Wouldn’t dream of it.

FawnFrenchieMum · 08/06/2024 19:39

Comedycook · 08/06/2024 16:06

Just googled and apparently Uber won't allow under 18s to travel unaccompanied

Interesting. I ordered an Uber one morning for my child when the bus to school didn’t turn up. They took her to school (age 11, year 7).

Nadja0fAntipaxos · 08/06/2024 19:38

Do you know any reliable 6th formers or teenage babysitters who would accompany her - in a taxi or on the bus? Obviously comes with extra cost.

daffodilandtulip · 08/06/2024 19:32

My 11yo used a taxi everyday for a week when they did an induction to high school in the summer holidays, literally weeks before he had to start catching two buses across the city for school. I worry more about him catching the bus, even now in year 10.

fieldsofbutterflies · 08/06/2024 19:27

I doubt you'll find a taxi company to take her anyway, she's too young.

MrMotivatorsLeotard · 08/06/2024 19:22

DragonGypsyDoris · 08/06/2024 18:43

Because all men are paedophiles? Of course, that makes total sense. They are all waiting to collect an unaccompanied 10 y/o, and obviously ignore the fact that the journey will be logged. It is no different from a 10 y/o being the first to be picked up or the last to be dropped off by bus.

Show quote history

No, not all men are paedophiles. Who said that they are? But the perpetrators of sexual abuse are overwhelmingly male and predators often go into jobs that provide them with easy access to their victims.

The journey being ‘logged’ doesn’t mean a whole lot. If something bad were to happen, it doesn’t take a huge stretch of imagination to think of some of the threats that a predator may make to a child to stop them telling anyone- ‘I know where you live, if you tell anyone I’ll hurt your family’.

I don’t make risk assessments in relation to my children only based on the likelihood of something happening, I also taken into account the level of harm that could occur.

ThinWomansBrain · 08/06/2024 18:49

Amazed at the assumption that if you "beg" lifts, that's absolutely safe for your child .
Obviously other parents can't possibly be abusers.

JurassicFantastic · 08/06/2024 18:48

You want to put your young child in a car alone with a complete stranger? Are you really asking this?

Christ0nABike · 08/06/2024 18:48

Where is she and who with between finishing school and you getting home, could they help?

wizzywig · 08/06/2024 18:48

I thought taxis couldn't take under 18s unless it was a school taxi?

ARichtGoodDram · 08/06/2024 18:46

You’ll struggle to find a taxi company to take her.

We couldn’t find any company willing to take our DD when we got funding for her to attend a club. Not even the company that take her to school everyday would do it!

DragonGypsyDoris · 08/06/2024 18:43

MrMotivatorsLeotard · 08/06/2024 15:24

Not in a million years. If there is no other option (such as asking another parent to to the drop off and you do the pick up for the children or picking the nursery aged child up earlier) then DD would sadly have to miss the club. Ten year old unaccompanied in a taxi with a (most likely) male driver is a recipe for disaster.

Because all men are paedophiles? Of course, that makes total sense. They are all waiting to collect an unaccompanied 10 y/o, and obviously ignore the fact that the journey will be logged. It is no different from a 10 y/o being the first to be picked up or the last to be dropped off by bus.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 08/06/2024 18:23

No fucking way! Taxis probably won’t take U16s without an adult anyway.

nightmaries · 08/06/2024 18:23

I cannot put into words quite how much I would NOT do this.

SlightlygrumpyBettyswaitress · 08/06/2024 18:21

Can you go straight to nursery with 10 year old being a little bit late? Or does that not work?

Laiste · 08/06/2024 16:59

No i wouldn't as a regular thing.

I don't think a taxi will take a lone 10 year old anyway.

DiscoBeat · 08/06/2024 16:34

No, I have never put them in a taxi, not even the 13 year old now.

liveforsummer · 08/06/2024 16:07

If you live in a city is a bus not a better option?

Original poster
Himitsu · 08/06/2024 16:07

Sprogonthetyne · 08/06/2024 15:24

Could you go straight to the nursery and the 10yo walk to meet you outside, then take the youngest along to drop her off?

No the nursery is a few miles away up a dual carriageway unfortunately! She also can’t walk to my work to meet me there as it’s too far.

OP posts:
Comedycook · 08/06/2024 16:06

Just googled and apparently Uber won't allow under 18s to travel unaccompanied

Comedycook · 08/06/2024 16:05

I think a lot of firms would refuse to take an unaccompanied child anyway

VickyEadieofThigh · 08/06/2024 15:57

I wouldn't, although I've never had children but it seems very risky to me.

Durdledore · 08/06/2024 15:54

Ok so your only option is husband changing hours back again as it seems that’s the change that has caused this?

If he can’t, it looks like we’ve exhausted all possibilities for you and she can’t do her club, unless the club has different times?

Sometimes the logistics just don’t work unfortunately, with so many moving parts.

Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong · 08/06/2024 15:49

I tried to put my 11 yr old in one when my car broke down one morning and he needed to get to school. They refused so I had to go too, bringing a toddler and baby along too for the ride, one of which had just vomited earlier. It cost me double too as I had the journey back. I totally understand though and I probably wouldn't have done it only it was a very stressful day. I think if its a regular booking with a driver who does school runs I would be OK. Some randomer on an app, no way.

Youdontevengohere · 08/06/2024 15:43

No, because my 10 year old would absolutely hate it.

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