Yes, a taxi can carry your pet, but only if you say so when booking, and only if the animal is secured properly. That covers most real pet journeys: the vet, the groomer, kennels or a cattery before a holiday. Flying a pet is a different matter. On flights into Great Britain, pets travel as cargo rather than in the cabin unless they are recognised assistance dogs, and the paperwork has fixed deadlines. This guide separates what a car journey involves from what the government rules require.
- Mention the animal, its size and how it will travel when you book, so a suitable vehicle and a willing driver are arranged.
- The Highway Code expects animals in cars to be restrained, for example in a carrier, a dog cage or a seat belt harness.
- Flying a dog, cat or ferret to the EU needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old and an animal health certificate used within 10 days.
Can you book a taxi with a dog or cat?
You can, as long as it is arranged in advance. Tell us the type of animal, roughly how big it is, and whether it travels in a carrier, on a harness or in a crate. With that information we can send a vehicle with suitable space and a driver who is happy to take the job. A large dog that nobody mentioned leaves the driver no chance to prepare the car, and that is how a pickup falls apart at the kerb.
A few details make the booking smoother:
- Size and number of animals, and whether a crate needs the boot rather than a seat.
- Whether the pet is anxious, travel-sick or recovering from treatment.
- Any stops, such as collecting a prescription after the vet.
- For a larger dog crate, an estate or MPV such as the SEAT Alhambra or V-Class gives more floor space than a saloon.
Fares are fixed when you book, so there is no meter running while a nervous cat is coaxed into its basket. If extra cleaning becomes necessary after a journey, our terms explain when a charge can apply.
How must a pet be secured in a car?
Rule 57 of the Highway Code says that dogs or other animals in a vehicle should be suitably restrained so they cannot distract the driver or injure you or themselves if the car stops quickly. It lists a seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard as ways to do it.
In practice that means cats, rabbits and small animals in a closed carrier on the floor or secured on a seat, and dogs in a harness clipped to a seat belt or in a crate. A loose dog on a lap is exactly what the rule is written to prevent. Bring a towel or blanket for the seat, a lead for getting in and out, and water for anything longer than a short hop.
Do taxis have to take assistance dogs?
Yes. Under sections 168 and 170 of the Equality Act 2010, drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles must accept assistance dogs and must not charge extra for them, unless the driver holds a medical exemption. The government's summary of rights of disabled passengers on transport sets this out, along with the duty on private hire operators not to refuse a booking because a passenger is disabled. You do not need to ask permission, but mentioning an assistance dog when you book still helps us plan space in the footwell.
What do you need to take a pet from the UK to the EU?
For a dog, cat or ferret, GOV.UK sets out a fixed sequence on its taking your pet abroad page:
- Microchip first. The chip must go in before, or at the same time as, the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination has to be repeated.
- Rabies vaccination. Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old, and you must wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination before travelling.
- Animal health certificate. An official veterinarian issues it, and it must be used to enter the EU within 10 days of issue. It then covers onward travel within the EU and re-entry to Great Britain for up to 6 months.
- A new certificate each trip. If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, a pet passport cannot be used to enter the EU, even one issued in the EU.
- Tapeworm treatment may be required for dogs, depending on the destination.
The 10-day window is the one that trips people up. GOV.UK's animal health certificate guidance gives the example of a certificate issued on 1 November being valid for entering the EU up to and including 10 November, so book the vet appointment around your travel date, not weeks earlier. You can take no more than 5 pets in a private vehicle to an EU country unless you are attending or training for an event.
Can a pet fly in the cabin?
Not on a flight into Great Britain, in most cases. GOV.UK's page on travel routes for pets says pets have to travel as cargo on a plane unless you are on a chartered private plane or travelling with a guide or assistance dog. Pets must also arrive by an approved route and carrier, which the government publishes as a list of approved air, sea and rail carriers and routes. Those approved routes can change, and some only run at certain times of year.
Recognised assistance dogs have wider rights. According to GOV.UK's guidance for assistance dogs, a UK or EU airline must allow you to travel with one, and you should tell the airline at least 48 hours before the flight. Dogs that only provide emotional support are not usually treated as assistance dogs.
Before bringing a dog back into Great Britain, check whether it needs tapeworm treatment: the rules for bringing pets to Great Britain say it must be given no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days before you arrive. Pets that do not meet the rules can be put into quarantine for up to four months at the owner's expense.
How does an airport run work when the pet flies as cargo?
Pet cargo is booked through the airline or a specialist pet shipping agent, and the place where the animal is handed over may not be the passenger terminal. Ask the agent for the exact address and the latest time the animal can be checked in, then give us both when you book. We can plan a journey that goes to the cargo drop-off first and the terminal second, or two separate bookings if the times are far apart.
Distances matter here. From Gerrards Cross, Heathrow is around 20–35 minutes by road, whereas Gatwick is around 70–85 minutes and Stansted around 90–105 minutes, so an early cargo check-in can shift the whole day. Our airport transfer service runs 24 hours a day, which helps when a live-animal check-in is long before the passenger flight.
What about ferries, Eurotunnel and cruises?
Some owners avoid flying the animal by driving across the Channel instead. For pets coming back into Great Britain by sea or Eurotunnel, GOV.UK advises checking whether the ferry or Eurotunnel operator accepts pets before you book. The certificate and rabies rules above still apply. If you are sailing from Dover or Southampton without the pet, our guides to Dover cruise and ferry transfers and Southampton cruise transfers cover the port journey.
What are the most common pet journeys we plan?
Most pet bookings are nowhere near an airport. They are a dog to the vet after a sudden limp, a cat to a cattery the day before a family holiday, or an older pet to a regular appointment. Booking the cattery drop-off and the family airport run as two linked journeys keeps the animal's day short and the car clean for the flight. For regular appointments, a standing booking on our local taxi service saves arranging it each time.