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Need to bring your pet to the vet or the grooming salon, but don’t have the time?
An app allows owners to book unaccompanied rides for their pets, delivered by drivers who are trained in animal handling, as per news.com.au on Jan. 6.
The app was created by Australian business PetCloud, which is patterned after other ride-hailing services where you download the app and book a car or a taxi. Call it your Uber or Grab for your furry friends.
Owners can also watch over their unaccompanied pets and make sure they’re safe by tracking the ride in real time on the app. But the service comes with its limits: it is only currently available in Australia and only portable animals can be serviced.
“We don’t have anyone offering horse floats or things like that — it’s not livestock transport,” Deb Morrison, CEO of PetCloud, said in the report.
Morrison launched PetCloud five years ago, which began as a website and app to bring pet owners and pet sitters together. Now, it has evolved into a pet taxi service.
The app was intended for owners who may not have the time to drive their pets to appointments or owners who do not have vehicles, as per Morrison. It is also suited for persons with disabilities who are not be able to drive their pets. Vets and grooming salons can also book rides for pet owners for appointments.
Pet owners must follow some rules should they book a ride for their pet. Dogs need to be in a body harness and with a leash upon pickup, whereas cats need to be in a carrier.
“All pet taxi drivers have a pet car tether, that basically attaches to the car’s seat belt, and then the pet car tether clips on to body harness or cat carrier and they are placed on to the back seat of the car,” Morrison added.
She believes the service would put a stop to appointment cancellations and no-shows since pets no longer have to depend on their owners to drive them to and fro.
Although a niche service, this is not the first time a pet taxi service app was made available to the public. In 2015, a Singaporean startup launched PetMate, a transportation service that allows owners to also book rides for their pets through an app. Cody Cepeda/JB
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