Pets Are Welcome!
Customers often ask us about bringing their pets on a ferry or bus. Please adhere to the following regulations when bringing animals onboard:
- Pets are allowed on buses and ferries if they are in (and remain in, for the duration of the trip) a handheld kennel or an airline-approved carrier.
- Animals cannot sit on people’s laps or anywhere else.
- Pets (with or without leashes) may not be let out to wander on a ferry or bus and must be non-disruptive (no barking, growling, constant whimpering, etc.).
Service Animals
Service animals are in a different category and are subject to different rules. Service animals are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities – such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Service animals are working animals, not pets. Comfort animals and emotional support animals are not service animals and are subject to the same rules as pets. Service animals must remain in the control of their owners at all times; this is often easier when the service animal is on a leash or harness.
An employee may ask if an animal is a service animal and what service the animal has been trained to perform, but cannot require special ID cards for the animal or ask about the customer’s disability. A person with a disability will be asked to remove his or her service animal from the premises if (a) the animal is out of control and the animal’s owner does not take effective action to control it or (b) the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.