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.