Taipei, July 13 (CNA) The Taipei City Public Transportation Office said Thursday that beginning on July 15 it will expand the number of bus routes that allow pet owners to travel with their dogs during holidays and weekends.
Following a pilot program that ran from Jan. 1 to June 25, when the city designated several No. 604 and 0 East buses "dog-friendly" every day, dog owners will soon also be able to take the Brown No. 6 bus, which passes close to the Wanxing Dog Area located across from Taipei Zoo, the office said.
Round-trip dog-friendly Brown No. 6 buses will run three times a day on weekends and public holiday - at 8:40 a.m., 11:20 a.m. and 4:40 p.m., according to the office.
It also said that similar services will be introduced on Aug. 5 on No. 225 and No. 669 buses for passengers looking to go to "Yingfeng Dog Exercise Park" and "Huashan Park Dog Area," respectively.
In addition, No. 279 and No. 681 buses will also be incorporated into the dog-friendly bus network after a new dog park opens in Neihu District later this year.
Office data shows that during the first six months of 2017 the trial program carried 8,730 people and 38 dogs on designated 0 East buses, with 14,917 people and 53 dogs traveling on No. 604 buses.
Services on the two routes will continue until the end of January, 2018, the office said, explaining that the program has been much more popular than expected.
