Key Points
- Australian regulations on pets on public transport is stuck
- In Europe, UK, North- and South America dogs can go on the bus or train
- 40 percent of households in Sydney has one or more dogs
"She attracts people. People come up and talk to me, and little kids want to pet her. So I do take her wherever I can. The problem is every time I want to do that, I need to jump in my car because I can't take her on public transport." It's why Dr Kent doesn't bring her dog to her workplace, even though it would brighten her day.
There's really no good reason for it, other than it's the way that we've always done things.
So why are dogs not allowed on public transport in Sydney? It's one of the questions she has asked the NSW Department of Transport for some time now.
"There's really no good reason for it, other than it's the way that we've always done things."
According to Dr Kent, the public transport system has prohibited people to take animals on public transport pretty much since its inception. At the beginning, to avoid people to bring e.g. chickens and sheep.
"But the regulation has just stuck, and as such, we're left with this historical legacy of prohibition of pets on public transport."
SBS Dutch contacted Transport for NSW for a statement. They let us know that animals, including pet dogs, can travel on buses, light rail, and ferry services if they are restrained in a suitable container when aboard. However, the driver or crew may refuse boarding if the service reaches capacity. Pets are not allowed on trains or at stations.
"We understand the deep bond between pet owners and their companions. While we recognise the benefits of allowing pets on public transport, we must also consider the needs of other passengers, including individuals with disabilities and transport workers", says a Transport for NSW spokesperson in a statement.
Dr Kent says Australia should allow pets on public transport. Many countries now do allow pets on public transport.
"It's accepted mostly through Europe, it's possible in the UK, increasingly in North America, and it's possible as well in South America."
With 40 percent of Sydney households having one or more dogs, the city got some of the highest rates of dog ownership in the world.
Source: Getty / Getty Images
According to Dr Kent, it has to do with how we think about public transport in Australia. In Europe, e.g. in the Netherlands, people use public transport for all kinds of trips, but Australians are very car-dependent and attached to their cars.
"We think about public transport as the poor sibling. So, allowing dogs on public transport to take their dog to a dog park, for example, seems quite alien to us. We're just thinking, well, you drive to the dog park", says Dr Kent.
Public transport is one of many dog-unfriendly things in Australia. Sydney has few dog-friendly beaches. Finding a rental property when you have a pet is tough, and landlords can prohibit you from having one.
Dr Kent: "There is research that proves that societies where there are more dogs, and there are more dogs out in public, have a better sense of belonging, less experience of loneliness, and better community fabric. So it's a good thing to have our dogs out there. But in Australia, to date, we've seen dogs as a fairly private sort of affair. Something that should be kept within our house."
We need to look at other cities and other jurisdictions where they they've done this in a way that is safe and that works
In 2023, Dr Kent co-wrote the paper , which was published in Elsevier's Journal of Transport & Health.
An essential source for this paper was an online survey (2017) under 1,500 representative Sydneysiders, both dog and non dog owners. Over 70 percent said they either agreed that dogs should be allowed on public transport, or that they didn’t have an opinion either way.
Source: SBS
"We need to look at other cities and other jurisdictions where they've done this in a way that is safe and that works."
Dr Kent explained that in Copenhagen (Denmark) there are special spots on the bus. They also have particular routes and times, when you can't take your dog on the bus, which you can easily look that up with an app. Other cities also charge tickets for dogs, meaning that this money can be used for any recovery costs if required. In Austria, there is even a test the dog owner has to go through to get a ticket for their puppy.
"The test is all about the owner, not about the dog, and it's to ensure that the owner knows whether or not their dog is going to be comfortable and whether it's appropriate for their dog to be in a confined space such as a bus or a train carriage."
Dr Kent thinks there is one more thing that needs to be factored in.
"People in Europe tend to have high respect for authority, which means that once a regulation is put in place, that regulation is followed, and the community can be trusted to do that. Here in Australia, we have relatively low scores on power distance or respect for authority. It's a cultural attribute. And as such, we need to be more heavy-handed with our regulations."
I often say it's not as though we're going to be inundated with people travelling with their dogs.
Dr. Jennifer Kent gives talks about public transport and dogs, and she often gets questions about things that could go wrong. She travelled to many places where they allowed pets on public transport, and in some cases, she did not see any dogs.
"I often say it's not as though we're going to be inundated with people travelling with their dogs. The next time you hop on a train, you're not going to be faced with a carriage full of Terriers."
Credit: supplier
Transport for NSW stated that they are currently working with the Minister for Transport to review its policies on pet travel and explore possible changes.
According to Dr Kent it will take a lot of work, taking two steps forward and one step back, because implementing a policy change like this is not necessarily linear.
"It can be very unpredictable and very messy and political as well. So, we could be stuck in this stasis for another two, three or five years until we have an election, and who knows what happens, or we could find that a champion comes forward."
