Uber Has Launched a Pet-Friendly Option in Melbourne So You Can Finally Take Fido for a Ride

If you're a pet owner, you'll know if can be difficult getting your dog/cat/iguana/parrot/rat from A to B — especially if you don't own a car. Example A: your friend has given you and Fido a ride to the park, then bailed and left you and the fluffy boy stranded. Fido's too big for a box on a bus or a tram, you're nowhere near a train, so you book a taxi, but the drive takes one look at muddy Fido and says no.

Thankfully, this type of scenario will be left in the past now Uber Pet has launched in Melbourne today, Thursday, June 25, after successful trials in Sydney and Brisbane.

Now available in your Uber app as a separate option — alongside UberX, Comfort and Pool — Uber Pet will match you with a driver who's happy to pick up pets. It'll cost an extra $6–7 per ride, with some of that passed onto the drivers, too. While the cat below may not agree, it's really a win-win scenario.

It has been now been rolled out nationally as a permanent option on the app. So, you can plan more trips to dog-friendly pubs, beaches and parks. And get to the vet a little easier (don't tell your cat).

While Uber expects cats and dogs will be the most common passengers, it allows any kind of domesticated animal use the service — at the driver's discretion.

Assistance and service animals are still allowed in regular Ubers, as they are on all forms of public transport. You can read more about travel for assistance animals in Melbourne here.

Uber Pet is now available nationally.