# Pet Taxi



## xxJudexx

Hi

If I want to offer a pet taxi service do I need to obtain some sort of licence for carrying the owners?

I have had an email from my local council asking some questions. I have pasted the email:

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is XxxxX and as stated below I am a licensing enforcement officer for XxxxX Council, and we are at the moment carrying out an investigation into the use of vehicles for the conveyance of pets (all animals) and their owners.

This is a general enquiry as to when you started your company and what your transport facility entails, namely , do you convey owners with their pets or just pets on their own, or are owners conveyed as a matter of course to where their pets are or only on special ocassions. What licences do you hold and when did you obtained these and from whom.

Can you please furnish me these details, in order that I can make necessary checks, and get back to you with any relevant enquiries.

Thank you in anticipation for your assisstance in this matter.

I just assumed I didn't need any type of licence because the client is paying for me to transport their animal and they are just along for the ride so to speak. 

I haven't conducted any pet taxi services as of yet and I want to make sure I am doing it correctly before I start.


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## Sled dog hotel

Firstly I would edit your post, removing the name of the council and the name of the person who wrote to you. In fact it may be better to just reword the whole thing asking what licences and insurance you need to operate a pet taxi.
owners will likely want to accompany their animals most of the time in which case it would or I would think have to cover licensing and insurance for people and pets.

On the Insurance normal car insurance only usually covers you for social, domestic and pleasure and for too and from permanent place of work in some circumstances, it doesnt cover you for business. I know mini cabs have to have something called Hire and reward insurance, and normal mini cabs Im sure have to be liecensed now or they should be.


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## Sled dog hotel

It seems that the council has to licence vehicles drivers and operators that provide transport services for hire and reward. There seems to be various licences.

Taxis

Although it mentioned licensing for dog breeders and Animal Boarding, movement of animals seems to only be farm type animals and pet farm type animals, but you would need to check thoroughly to be sure.

http://www.medway.gov.uk/business/licencesandstreettrading/animalmovement.aspx

There is also a business section.
Business


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## BoredomBusters

I have been a taxi driver in the past, and you need a licence to carry paying passengers, AND a specific vehicle which meets certain criteria, has a test stricter than the MOT each year and costs a fortune - unlike the MOT everything is tested to last for a year, not just at the time of the test. The word 'taxi' has a specific meaning under law (minicabs for instance are not allowed to use the word), and it would be better to just drop that word completely from the service. Unless things have changed you can't even run your own taxi for a year after you get your taxi licence.

You need a licence to transport animals, including dogs, as part of an economic activity which is done via defra. If you look at the information it looks like you don't need it (it excludes reasons you don't need a licence, rather than tells you the reasons you do), but it is needed under the The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (WATO) (England) Order 2006. 

If you genuinely don't charge for the owners, you have to make sure all your marketting material is aimed at the pets, and all your prices are exactly the same whether or not the owner is with you. And you never take tips, or payment at the point of travel. I'm not sure if that would be enough to protect you, but I don't do pet taxi work if the owner needs to come with me, I just transport the pets. And in fact don't even advertise it as a separate service anymore.


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## kennelcustoms

the idea of pet courier sounds good to me, we used to visit family in scotland years ago. the drive was daunting and mundane so we would use the train as we always took the dogs. if pet courier took the dogs then we could jump on the plane and be there in an hour. 
i wish you all the best for your business prospect


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