Pets May Soon Be Allowed On Buses

A petition that has been making the rounds through social media may soon translate into pets being allowed on buses.

The petition in question, “Let Pets Ride The Bus!”, has gathered over 4,000 signatures at the time of this writing. Directed at bus company Strætó bs, it hopes to hit 5,000 signatures by March 20.

“It is a given right that people take their pets on the bus,” the petition reads in part. “It would be possible to create new regulations for new arrangements, and it would be possible to use regulations found across Europe on this subject, where for example it is required to keep your pet on a leash. In some places, a special fare is charged, and bus drivers can reserve the right to refuse to let a pet on the bus if the occasion warrants it.”

While the specific language of the bill states “pets”, dogs are had especially in mind. The creator of the petition, Andri Kárason, told Vísir the petition idea came to him because he cannot take his dog on the bus.

“As the situation is today, you cannot take animals onto the bus, into a coffeehouse, shops, and other places,” he said. “I think we should relax these rules a little, and I think it’s a great idea to start with letting [pets] onto buses.”

Former member of parliament Ólína Þorvarðardóttir agreed, telling reporters she believes dog owners are persecuted.

“Dog owners are like second-class citizens,” she said. “They sometimes experience harassment in public spaces,” without elaborating on any particular examples.

Vísir reports that the petition has reached Strætó. Spokesperson Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir confirmed the matter will be taken into consideration.

“We will get to work on this over the next week, to put into implementation new regulations on bringing pets on the bus” she said.