Going out with your pet can be exceedingly inconvenient. While cats and small dogs can be taken on most mass transit systems by putting them in a pet container, owners of large dogs are still at a loss. If an owner of a big dog wants to take their pet out on the town, the only choice they basically have is to drive their own car. The Pet-Friendly Movement Association has come up with the concept of pet-friendly taxis for owners of larger dogs. Besides giving taxi drivers pet-friendly stickers to put on their taxis, the organization is also making a comprehensive list of drivers to give pet owners so they can take their pets out with comfort and ease. Several drivers have already expressed a willingness to be part of the new program.
In talking about how the idea originated, Tsai Chih-chiang, president of the organization, says that one time when he took his dogs, Dudu (schnauzer) and Feifei (golden retriever), out for a stroll from Guandu to Danshui, it starting pouring down rain and he had no other option but to hail a cab. He had no idea, however, that after 20 minutes of waiting not a single taxi would stop to pick him up, which gave him the determination to start a pet-friendly taxi program.
Tsai says that since the need was there he had initially planned on forming his own taxi company, but after considering the costs of operating such an enterprise he changed his mind and decided to recruit pet-friendly taxi drivers instead, creating a list of drivers willing to take people with pets — a veritable form of social welfare, he says.
Photo: Chen Hui-tzu, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者陳慰慈
There are a myriad of problems with pets riding in taxis, says one taxi driver, including the dogs slobbering, the overbearing odor of dogs and cats and shedding hair and fur, all of which could put the next passenger off. Tsai says that she understands why taxi drivers refuse to take pets, so when he gives speeches to taxi companies he makes a point of telling them they should carry cleaning and deodorant supplies. Many taxi drivers usually agree with him when he asks, “Which is worse? Driving with a pet in the car or a drunk person who vomits in your taxi?”
Regarding how the fare is calculated, passengers should talk it over with the taxi driver before taking the taxi to see if they need to pay an extra cleaning fee. From the association’s standpoint, Tsai says that they obviously hope taxis will not charge more for carrying pets. He says, however, that it is ultimately up to the driver and passenger to work out how the cab fare is calculated, and that the association is merely a platform providing the public with information.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
Photos courtesy of the Pet-Friendly Movement Association
照片由寵物友善運動協會提供
家有寵物，出遊超不便！小型貓、犬裝籠還能搭乘大眾運輸系統，但大型犬根本沒辦法上車，飼主想帶寵物四處趴趴走，只能自行開車。寵物友善運動協會推廣寵物友善計程車理念，除提供貼紙給計程車張貼，還會將司機名單提供給寵物家庭，方便飼主帶寵物出門，目前已有司機表達加入意願。
談起理念推廣源起，寵物友善運動協會執行長蔡志強說，自己曾帶著愛犬嘟嘟（雪納瑞）與飛飛（黃金獵犬）從關渡散步至淡水，因突然下起一陣大雨，只好趕緊到路邊招攔計程車，沒想到過了二十分鐘都沒有計程車司機願意載，讓他決定自己宣導寵物友善計程車。
蔡志強透露，他本有自組車隊的打算，畢竟社會有這方面需求；不過，考量到營運成本問題，想法轉個彎，改招募寵物友善計程車，建立完整司機名單，服務全台寵物家庭，導向社會公益。
一位司機指出，寵物上車問題多，狗狗流口水、貓狗氣味重、掉毛等問題，都會影響到下一位搭乘客人的搭車意願。蔡志強表示，他了解計程車不願載寵物的原因，至車隊演講推廣時，會特別跟司機強調車上須準備清潔、除臭用品，並反問司機「載到酒醉嘔吐客人不是比載寵物更麻煩」，獲得不少司機認同。
至於車資部份，也宜先與司機溝通是否需加收清潔費用。蔡志強說，站在協會立場，當然不希望計程車加收費用，但實際收費仍由飼主與司機溝通協調，協會僅做為提供資訊服務的平台。
（自由時報記者陳慰慈）
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