Pets on public transport

In Perth Australia, dogs are not allowed on buses or trains! This was a surprise to us as we’re used to being able to take dogs on buses/trains/underground throughout England.
Where you live/sit what are the rules regarding dogs/pets on public transport?

3 Likes

Wherever you sit, best to check ahead if you’re hoping to take transit with your sit pet(s).

In the U.S., transit systems are fragmented as far as who manages what, so you’d need to check with each system, depending on where you’ll be. Many systems in the U.S. allow only service animals.

4 Likes

We’re currently sitting in Switzerland and pets are allowed on public transport BUT you need a ticket for them (child ticket). We actually got ticket checked this week!

5 Likes

I live in Vancouver, B.C. and only service dogs are allowed on public transit. Certain clothing stores allow pets in and some pubs/restaurants/cafes are pet friendly.

4 Likes

Service dogs are an exception @BonnyinBrighton but yes, Australia is not known for allowing dogs on public transport, in shops, pubs etc.

4 Likes

I’m currently sitting in Ireland. Not sure about the whole of Ireland but in Dublin only assistance dogs are allowed on public transport

4 Likes

Wow they have to pay! English dogs travel for free! In fact dogs on buses are very much welcomed and made a fuss of.

5 Likes

I think the English look on their dogs in a different way to us Aussies @BonnyinBrighton :wink:

2 Likes

Dogs are allowed on public transit in Seattle - you are supposed to pay for them if they are too big to sit in your lap, but when I had a dog about 30% of drivers said don’t bother. My dog was a great bus traveler!

4 Likes

With the exception of registered assistance dogs, in Brisbane Australia, the only public transport that dogs are allowed on are CityCats & ferries and there are strict rules:

Dogs are only allowed to travel during off-peak times (8.30am–3.30pm and 7pm–6am, Monday to Friday, and all day on weekends).
Dogs must be on a lead and wearing a muzzle or be in an enclosed carrier.
You must maintain control of your dog.
Dogs must remain outside the ferry cabin.
Owners must carry waste bags to clean up any dog mess.
A maximum of 2 dogs per person are allowed at a time.
Due to capacity, or other operations reasons, ferry staff may ask you to wait for another service.

Although we do have two CityCats, rebranded CityDogs, where two very special dogs have no restrictions
https://www.bluey.tv/blog/brisbane-welcomes-citydogs/

As @Temba alludes to, it’s not an Aussie thing to take dogs with us everywhere we go.

3 Likes

In Seoul, Korea, dogs are allowed on the subway, but it’s at the bus driver’s discretion whether or not to allow them onboard. To avoid a potentially dog-unfriendly bus driver, I used to transport my doggy in a shopping trolley bag with the top flap down while boarding a bus.

Pets are not allowed in stores. However, they have pet lockers at the entrance where one can “store” pets while shopping.

7 Likes

Things may be slowly changing, at least in Brisbane. :wink: Apparently, it isn’t uncommon for dogs tied up in front of stores to be stolen. Not that I ever would tie a dog in front of the store, but my pet parents warned me not to do it while I go shopping, so I put my doggy in a shopping bag and was, in fact, allowed to enter the store.

6 Likes

Pets are allowed on transit in the Vancouver area if they are in a carrier that fits on your lap, so you can use transit to take a (small enough) pet to the vet, for example, if that were to come up for a sitter there (and the situation didn’t require the swiftness of a taxi, of course).

3 Likes

On the whole, transit orgs and businesses are becoming more pet tolerant simply because customers are demanding it. That’s great to see as someone who loves pets. But I was thinking that it must suck for those who have allergies or who are scared of say dogs, or who want nothing to do with animals.

3 Likes

I don’t understand why people leave dogs outside stores, it’s asking for trouble. However, when I was a baby it was quite common to leave babies in prams outside shops :flushed_face:

5 Likes

Too right about that @Smiley. Our family had a well-known story about my mother almost making it home and then realizing she had left me sleeping in the buggy outside the grocery store.

5 Likes

Didn’t know that as I don’t have a pet and haven’t seen one on public transit. Good to know!

2 Likes

It’s important in a City location if there’s no car to use and you want to go further than the local few blocks or parks… hire cars don’t allow dogs. We planned to take the two mini schnauzers to the beach for an early morning swim but couldn’t because they weren’t allowed on the bus!

1 Like

Yes I’m personally not keen on allowing dogs on airplanes… I felt quite sorry for the dogs going transatlantic on the Queen Mary2…8 days in a small crate.

1 Like

Best to check whether rental companies allow dogs. Many in the U.S. do, for example.

Of course, if a pet tears up the car, pees or poops, or barfs in it, they might charge you a cleaning or repair fee.

I’ve rented cars for decades and haven’t had issues with pets in them.

1 Like