London is the world’s most dog-friendly subway

The most dog friendly subway system in the world belongs to the London Underground, according to data from Essential Living. 

For dogs traveling in the London Underground, no muzzles are needs, no tickets are needed and no carriers are needed either.

Pets traveling in the London Tube are also able to go anywhere in the carriage as there is no place that’s off-limits for them, okay maybe except on the actual seats.

Essential Living ranked the London Underground subway system as being more welcoming to pets than the subway systems in Tokyo, Madrid, Paris, Seoul, New York City, Moscow, Beijing, Mexico City, and Shanghai.

Essential Living ranked the subway systems in five different categories: ‘pets allowed’, ‘small pets in carriers’, ‘pets allowed everywhere’, ‘dogs on leads allowed’, and ‘muzzle not mandatory’.

Of these categories, London ticked all five.

The London Underground

There are certain rules that dogs traveling in the London Underground station must abide by.

Transport for London advises dogs and their humans to go through the wide gates or carry your dog through the gates. If you have an assistance dog, at stations where there is no wide gate, you must ask a member of staff to open the gates to allow you to enter or leave a station.

In the London Underground, dog owners must keep their dogs on a leash or a carrier. unless there is a good reason for us to refuse them(such as if the animal seems dangerous). Underground services operators could also refuse entry to your pet if your pet seems dangerous and out of control Transport for London advises dog owners to keep them under control on a lead or in a suitable container, and must not allow them on a seat. (Though I’ve known a bull terrier who may have sat on the seat a few times).

At the London Underground stations, you also must use a staircase or lift where provided. If there is no staircase or lift and you need to use a moving escalator, you must carry your pet unless you have an assistance dog that has been trained to walk on moving escalators. If your pet is too large to carry, a member of staff will stop the escalator to allow the pet to travel on it when it is safe to do so (generally outside the rush hours and when the station is not busy).

Having traveled in the Underground with Rocky quite a few times, I would advise pet travelers to avoid London’s rush hour times as getting caught in it can be stressful for your pets.

According to Transport for London, the busiest times for the tubes are typically between 08:00 to 08:30 in the morning and 17:30-18:00 in the afternoon.

A word from Rocky

“No surprise that London has the dog friendliest subway system on the planet,” Rocky the Traveller said. “Having taken the subways in Madrid and Paris, I didn’t enjoy having to wear a muzzle the whole ride. Especially when Spain and France have so many food options and I always want to leave my mouth free in case crumbs of the local cuisine end up on the train floor.”

“While I have not been to the other subway systems, I am confident that London’s ranking at the top is well-deserved,” Rocky said. “If anyone wants to pay for my way to test out the other subway systems, then I am more than happy to rank them personally.”