Service Animals and Public Transportation
U.S. Department of Transportation ADA regulations (49 CFR 37.3) define a service animal as “any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to:
- Guiding individuals with impaired vision
- Alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds
- Providing minimal protection or rescue work
- Pulling a wheelchair
- Fetching dropped items
Customer Responsibilities
- Customers are responsible for maintaining control over their animals and caring for them at all times when riding transit.
- Customers are responsible for knowing the best way to board and position their animal on the transit vehicle.
- Service animals may not block aisles or exits.
Operator responsibilities
- Every operator or employee who serves people with disabilities must be trained to provide non-discriminatory service in an appropriate and respectful way.
- Operators must allow all service animals on board.
Operators May Not
- Ask for proof of service animal certfication or of the customer’s disability.
- Require a customer traveling with a service animal to sit in a particular seat on a vehicle.
- Charge a cleaning fee for customers who bring their service animals onto a vehicle, unless the animal causes damage.