AS REPORTED BY RADIO NZ, Wellington bus commuters will now be allowed to travel with their pets – provided they are in cages or some form of suitable container - in a move announced by The Greater Wellington Regional Council Sustainable Transport Committee, recently.
Staring mid-July 2018, domestic caged pets will be permitted to commute with their owners on the City’s public transport network, in line with changes to the animal carriage proposal, given that new operators are coming on board.
At present, people and their caged or contained pets could only travel via train, but now the council has permitted this to occur across all forms of public transport so as to avoid confusion among the public and operators of the different transport modes.
NOT HAPPY, JAN!
Not everyone is happy with the decision, though, with Councillor David Ogden quick to relay a constituent’s emailed correspondence that questioned the common-sense of the policy change.
“I love dogs, but they will poo on the bus, they will bark, they will run around on the bus, they will pee on the bus. Someone will get bitten.
“They will sit on seats and who is going to stop them. Which dogs can go on? The poor driver has enough trouble as it is.”
Councillor Ogden says many online comments similarly opposed the move, plus there are other pressing Wellington transport issues, like the Wairarapa train line, that should have been prioritised.
However, Chairwoman Barbara Donaldson clarifies that certain measures would be in place to handle any unruly animals.
“People can be asked not to get on to the train or bus or to get off if their pet is causing a nuisance, maybe barking or sounding aggressive. But it is in its carrier, so the things he was talking about can’t happen,” she said.
As Donaldson explains, these days pets were part of people’s lives and it made sense to be able to take them on public transport. She says it was likely drivers would decide which pets could get on the bus.
The new policy for caged or confined pets’ transportation on all Wellington public transport is to be rolled out as new contracts are introduced.