Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Feb 4: Travelling with pets used to be difficult and a pricy affair, as most of the public transport don’t allow them on board, forcing owners to hire private vehicles. However, setting an example is Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) which has mandated to allow pets on board across its 8,000 buses from February 1.

KSRTC in its circular states, the pet owner has to pay for the pet’s ticket. For a dog, the fare is equivalent to that of an adult passenger’s ticket.

For smaller animals, such as a rabbit, puppy, bird in a cage, cat or monkey, the fares applicable would be equivalent to the price of a child’s ticket.

Under no circumstances however, can pets be treated as part of free allowance.

"We had been receiving complaints from passengers that our crew refuses to allow pets on buses. We wanted to change it and make our staff and services pet friendly. So, we decided to collect fare on par with passengers for pets travelling by our buses," a KSRTC official told media.

KSRTC in its circular has also issued guidelines, which state that pet owner will be responsible for the animal’s behavior. The dogs have to be leashed at all times and the pet owner should make sure that the pet is not causing harm to the bus crew or fellow passengers or their luggage.