Pets are now paw-manently welcome onboard Auckland’s buses, Auckland Transport says.

Does this news sound fur-miliar? It follows on from the success of two previous pets on buses trials – small domestic pets in carriers and large dogs with muzzles and leads.

This announcement means that household pets can now travel on buses, trains, and ferries in Auckland.

Councillor Josephine Bartley is looking forward to seeing more pets on public transport across the city.

“My dog Milo and I love travelling on public transport together. This news is really positive and I’m excited to see Aucklanders making the most of it,” says Councillor Bartley.

“I’m passionate about reducing barriers to access, so making public transport pet-friendly means more people will be able to live their best lives with their furry friends.

“Up until now the rules around pets on public transport have forced many pet owners to rely on cars for essential trips to the vet or the groomers, but now they can use buses, trains and ferries throughout Auckland.”

Auckland Transport’s Improvement Delivery Lead Luke Clarke says AT received valuable feedback during the two pets on buses trials.

“We’ve used this feedback from our customers, bus operators, and accessibility groups to make this final decision and set the terms and conditions for pets onboard our services.

"Those of us with pets know how important our animals are as part of the family, and now the whole family are welcome to travel on Auckland’s buses, trains and ferries.

“It seems that many of our customers also view this announcement as Auckland catching up with other pet-friendly cities around the world, where pets are a regular sight onboard the tube, subway or metro.

"And no matter how old your pets are in dog years or cat years, they’ll all be able to travel for free onboard our services, with no need to apply for a Su-paw Gold Card.”

There are a few rules for taking pets onboard, including that they must travel outside of peak hours and bigger dogs must wear a cage-type muzzle and a lead if they do not fit into an approved carrier.

Service and assistance dogs are allowed on all services at all times and do not ever require a muzzle.

With pets now able to travel on Auckland’s public transport, the paw-sibilities of where to take your furry friend are endless!

Explainer video here: https://youtu.be/xO0uEfRXIdg

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