Traficom publishes guidance on using public transport with an assistance dog

An assistance dog is an important prerequisite for independent living and mobility, and it accompanies its handler everywhere, including public transport vehicles. Assistance dogs always travel free of charge.

There are approximately 400 assistance dogs working in Finland. Most of them are guide dogs for people with visual impairments. Others include dogs assisting people with physical disabilities, hearing dogs for people with hearing impairments, support dogs for people with various long-term illnesses, and medical alert dogs trained to identify seizures or changes in blood sugar levels, such as diabetic alert dogs.

Trained staff know how to help dog handlers

The guide includes information about relevant legislation, best practices and customer needs. “We conducted a survey to gather information from assistance dog handlers about their experiences,” says Special Adviser Taina Saarinen from Traficom. “We also asked transport operators and the largest organisations purchasing public passenger transport services for comments and views about the use of assistance dogs,” says Saarinen.

Based on the survey, transport operators should train their staff on how to recognise and interact with assistance dogs to avoid dangerous situations and misunderstandings. For example, many people mistake assistance dogs for pets and approach them during the journey. Assistance dogs should never be disturbed to ensure that their handlers get their undivided attention.

The guide covers national legislation and EU regulations on passenger rights, which include provisions on advance notifications, for example. When using local transport services, operators do not need to be notified of assistance dogs in advance. On long-distance journeys and taxis, the best way to secure the most suitable seat and arrangements is to notify the service provider of the assistance dog in advance. “Legislation sets time limits for different modes of long-distance transport within which passengers should let operators know if they are using an assistance dog. Even if no advance notification has been given prior to departure, transport operators must take reasonable steps to make the journey possible,” says Special Adviser Kirsi Tervola-Joutsen from Traficom.

“When drafting the guide, we noticed that some Finnish transport operators do not require prior notifications at all, thereby providing more equal opportunities for spontaneous travel. For example, assistance dogs are allowed on board trains within Finland without prior notification,” says Special Adviser Taina Saarinen from Traficom.

"Almost every handler of an assistance dog uses public transport in their everyday life. Functional, fluent travel chains make living easier and help the service providers to enable effortless and safe mobility for them as well," says Assistance Dog Specialist Paula Seilanto from The Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities.

The guidebook process was led by a steering group with representatives from Traficom, the Guide Dog School, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities and the Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa. The work was supported by the consulting firm Linea Konsultit Oy.

The guide is published as part of Traficom’s duties in the field of accessibility. Traficom works to improve accessibility in public transport and supervises that operators in all transport modes respect the rights of passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility as laid down in EU regulations.

Traficom hopes that the guide will be widely used in training provided to bus and taxi drivers, for example. The guide is available in Finnish, Swedish and English.