hi,i have a tiny little chihuahua called coco who is friendly and quiet and no trouble at all.
i have taken coco on the bus a couple of times and no one has ever said anything to me but today when i got on the bus home the driver said 'that will be £1.50,£1 for you and 50p for the dog' i wasnt sure if he was joking or not so i said 'are you joking?'and he said 'no'really stressily so i had to pay.
coco is a tiny chihuahua,he was tucked under my arm and any one would be able to see he is the quietest little dog ever and would not cause any trouble just siting on my lap,he wouldnt even take up a seat!
i thought this was really unfair,what if i didnt have enough money to get home?how are you meant to find out!?its just a cheap way of making money and i think it is very unfair.
has anyone else had to pay?
xxx

They don't charge for our dog in Cumbria but I suppose each company will have it's own rules.  It bugs me when holiday cottages charge for a dog.  They will charge if there was any extra cleaning to be done anyway so what is the extra charge for?

When I was little I used to take my Bichon on the bus and would get charged half fare for him :(  and holiday cottages arent the only ones who charge for dogs, campsites often charge too - and there is no extra cleaning involved there

It always used to be a child's fare for a dog on the bus. Mind you, some bus companies won't take dogs at all.
:)

Before I got married I used to take my dogs on the bus all the time -a least once a week. At least here in my town, it is a case of there IS a rule saying you have to pay for a dog, but some drivers are kind enough to let you off -especially if the dog is small and won't take up any space. But I've come across both kinds -I've had drivers charge for small dogs sitting under my seat, yet others haven't charged for two big ones. What I do is ALWAYS ask for a ticket for the dog, so that I am doing the correct and polite thing, and then I found that MOST drivers just wave it off and say no it's okay.

Marianne

I got on the bus to my obedience club for years and never had to pay, and that was a big collie!

They don't charge for dogs on the Bristol buses, but it also means they don't ahve to take them, it is th3e drivers discretion.

I take mine on the bus all the time and never get charged for them thats ariva busses.

Get charged child price on First buses in manchester, i expect thats the standard First 'dog' charge.

I wouldnt expect NOT to pay on the bus for a dog. But there again i also expect my big dog who gets in the way in the aisle and cannot fit under the seat to be permitted to sit on the seat she has paid for.

A viewpoint that a few have disagreed wtih in the past, but - the seat is paid for, she will sit on it. And in any case, id rather than than she get stood on, and also, given the state of busses cleanliness these days, i HIGHLY doubt there is anything on her paws or backside that isnt spread around by schoolkids and alkys and nutters that ride around on our local busses every day.

Em

I have never been on a public transit bus since i got my license, couldn't you just hide your chihuhhuaheaeaegmee in a hand bag and sit at the back of the bus , the driver would never know!

My son is a taxi driver and he is the only one in his 'rank' who will take a dog in his car! he doesn't charge any extra for the dog or the hair it leaves behind either :D :D
Jacqueline :)

I have never been charged for dogs on the bus in coventry but it does say on their terms and conditions sign on the bus in small letters that charging for dogs is at the drivers discretion - I think ive been charged for the "extra person" when taking a dog in a taxi but we tell them when we call one that we have a dog with us, although these days i drive most places in my kennel on wheels lol

First own the Bristol buses, so I wonder if they ahve started to charge for dogs then?  Haen't taken one onto their buses for a while.  Not since Lexi was a puppy.

I havent taken my pup on a bus yet because i hardly ever use them, so i dont know if i would be charged or not. I was wondering if there is a size limit to the dogs allowed on??? I have a Mastiff, so i can imagine that most bus drivers (and passengers) would be a bit wary of having him on the bus when he is full size. Does anyone know if there are size restrictions??

Dogs travel for free in Edinburgh on buses, the taxi drivers are also really good about taking them on the odd occasion I've had to use them! :)

I take my Leonberger on the buses with no problem and I always pay 50p. I did phone stagecoach just to check it was ok and they told me that as long as the dog was friendly and well behaved then there should be no problem.

I dont agree that they should sit on the seats, you dont see guide dogs doing that.My dogs place is on the floor whether its at home or in the car or on the buses.

I can take my 2 on the train, tube and bus in London for no charge.  Crikey, London being cheaper for a change :)

I don't believe there are size restrictions but there is a number on restrictions.  I have been told by London Transport that my 2 can travel free on any form of public transport but will be charged a fee for more than 2 dogs.  This is not a fixed fee per dog but an increase on my ticket fee and this is variable depending on the type of transport I use and the type of network I use.  Mind you, not sure what they would say to 2 great danes!

so why is it different everywhere?surely they should have some fixed rule?

if i had to pay for a dog on bus, it would be sitting on the seats!

There are loads of different bus companies, and they all make their own rules.

I think its outrageous to have to pay personally,coco is smaller than my bag and my bag sits on my lap too!what is the difference!!!!This country is always looking for stupid reasons to take money off you!Things like this make me want to move back to australia.

I wouldn't want to sit on a seat after someones dog had sat on it thanks!  Public transport is a service and if dogs wish to use the service alongside their owners, they should pay too! 

That is a ridiculous thing to say,dogs paying to use a bus,should i give coco his own pocket money too pay?All the dogs i have seen on a bus dont even sit on the seat,they are quiet and well behaved,ok,maybe if you ever saw a dog sit on a seat you would have a right to complain but im sure you havnt but if you have payed for the dog then i think they have the right to sit wherever they want,ok they may leave hairs but its the same as a person leaving their seat littered with rubbish.
And to point out coco sits on my lap.

They charge for children, who often sit on their parent's lap - why should dogs be any different?

Ah but children under five go Free, because i suppose they usualy sit on parents lap if the bus is crowded.  So with the same logiv the dog should go free.  To be honest though the buses run a business and they will charge what they want.

Well what about Eurotunnels charges for dogs.  Now four people can travel in the price for the Car, but two popele and two dogs and the dogs ahve to be payed for, and none of them get out of the car????

i think it is outragous to charge for a tiny dog,he is smaller than my bag which sits on my lap,why is it different?Its just a stupid way to scam money out of you,things like this make me want to move back to australia.It is totaly unreasonable and the bus driver was rude and made me feel stupid,he told me like i should have known and said it really satisfactorly like he was glad to have got more money out of me.

sorry,it said my post wasnt added so i posted agin but it did add
sorry!
xxx

i use public transport every day and its a joke. i would much rather sit in a seat a dog had in than some people!!! charging for dogs on public transport is a ridiculous money making scheme. they should start charging for folk with huge buggies and prams if they are going to charge for dogs.

Where I live in Yorkshire its run by Arriva buses and there policy is dogs go free, since getting my puppy (Coco) 3 weeks ago I have used public transport at least 5 times a week and have never been charged for Coco.

They dont charge for dogs on bus's in Essex or Cornwall,or Ireland.

Its Stagecoach that tend to charge for dogs and while it is their policy to do so often the drivers don't charge you (in my experience anyway). Where I live the other bus company doesn't charge though.