A new pet taxi service has been launched in the UK to help pet parents with no transport get around the city of Norwich, reports Norwich Evening News.
The idea for the pet taxi service came from Tracey Eaton who runs Maccy G Pets, a dog walking and pet sitting service which covers Norwich and nearby surrounding villages.
While Eaton’s first year running Maccy G Pets proved to be a success, the pandemic saw her lose months of bookings and she received no government support. With a reduced income, she invested in a van to start up a pet taxi service which can transport pets and their owners “anywhere they need to go”.
“We can take you and your pet to vet appointments, to drop off at boarding kennels/catteries or anywhere else you’d like to travel with your pet in safety… I love meeting people and I love meeting dogs and cats,” Eaton said.
Despite the challenges, Eaton’s service has seen clients also continue to use her dog walking services amid the pandemic.
The van has been equipped with a large crate and has amenities such as water for the dogs, a full pet first aid kit and air conditioning aboard. After each trip, the van is sanitized and bedding removed.
When dog walking, Miss Eaton will arrive to pick up or return dogs from clients’ gardens, using her own leads and personal protective equipment. The taxi will sit alongside her current dog walking and pet sitting services which have been adapted to be more Covid-secure.
Pet travel in taxis seems to be more accepted in many parts of the world. Recently, Uber launched its Uber Pet brand across cities in Australia, New Zealand as well as in the UK and parts of the US.
Commentary
It’s great to see the innovation that that this pandemic has brought out in many pet lovers and pet parents. While Eaton lost bookings due to the pandemic, her love for dogs took her on a new journey of starting a pet taxi service in Norwich.
In the UK, not every taxi driver will accept pets and not many people will have access to Uber so having a specialty pet taxi service is a valuable option for those who are not able to get around their city with their pet in other ways. Hopefully more cities will take note of Eaton and her story and we will see pet friendly taxi services pop up in more places.