Rideshare and Taxis in Perth: Travelling With a Carrier

Short answer: A rideshare or taxi trip with a pet needs a carrier with rigid sides that a seatbelt can hold, big enough for your pet to stand and turn, and closed for the whole journey. Book with the pet option or message the driver beforehand, wait at a safe pickup point, and keep the carrier on the seat rather than your lap.

The hardest part of grooming is not the groom. It is the hour before, when a client realises their cat has a vet appointment at 9 am, the household car is at work, and the only option left is a rideshare. I have taken my own cat in a taxi and I have helped clients plan the same trip, and the difference between a calm ride and a wrecked one is almost always decided before the car arrives. The carrier, the note in the booking and the pickup point do most of the work. Once the door shuts, there is very little you can fix from the back seat.

Three jobs a carrier has to do

A carrier for a rideshare trip has three jobs. It has to hold the pet if the car brakes hard, it has to be rigid enough that a seatbelt or a firm hand can restrain the whole box rather than squash it, and it has to contain everything the pet brings with it. That rules out the flimsiest soft-sided bags, which fold around the animal and give a seatbelt nothing solid to grip. A hard plastic carrier with a metal gate works, and so does a soft carrier with a rigid frame and a firm base panel. Check the zip or latch before you leave the house, and check that the gate cannot be pushed open from the inside.

Sizing a carrier for a back seat

Carrier sizing is normally about the pet. For this trip it is also about the car. A cat carrier about 45 to 55 cm long sits across a sedan back seat without tipping, and a small dog carrier around 60 cm fits most footwells if the carrier has to go on the floor. Your pet should be able to stand without ducking and turn around, but not so loose inside that they slide the length of the box every time the car moves. Check the internal measurement rather than the outside, since the pet carriers that work on a car seat are the ones with a firm base that keeps its shape. Weigh the pet and the carrier together, because lifting a 6 kg cat in a 2 kg carrier one-handed into a stranger's car is a different job from lifting it in your hallway.

Making the booking without surprises

Rideshare apps and taxi companies handle pets differently, so check what the service offers before you tap confirm. Some have a pet setting you can select, some let you send a note to the driver, and some offer neither, which means you are relying on the driver accepting the trip when they see you at the kerb. Message as soon as a driver accepts, with one short line: pet in a closed carrier, vet appointment, waiting at the pickup point. That gives them room to decline without a scene. Book five or ten minutes earlier than you need, because a pet takes longer to load and unload than a person with a handbag.

Getting in and out without a wrestle

Plan the loading before the car arrives. Have the carrier closed, upright and near the door, with the handle in one hand and nothing else to carry. When the car pulls up, put the carrier on the back seat, thread the seatbelt through the handle or around the body of the carrier, and click it in. If the driver wants the carrier on the floor, wedge it behind the front seat so it cannot slide forward. Do not open the carrier in the car, not even briefly at a red light, and keep a hand on it through corners. Unload the same way: carrier out first, then pay, then stand clear of the door.

• Rigid-sided carrier, seatbelt through the handle, closed the whole trip.
• Message the driver before pickup and keep the note to one line.
• Wait at a safe pickup point with the carrier already shut.
• Book five or ten minutes early, because pet loading takes longer.
• Raise travel anxiety with your vet before the appointment day.

The things that go wrong on the way

The most common problem I hear about is a pet travelling loose because someone opened the carrier to settle them. That turns a contained trip into a driver distraction and puts a cat under the pedals. The second is a carrier on a lap, which feels safer and is not, because nothing restrains it in a sudden stop. The third is a carrier sliding on smooth upholstery, which a folded towel underneath fixes while also catching the mess. A rattling carrier is worth quietening with a towel over the top. If your pet is distressed by car travel generally, raise it with your vet well before the appointment rather than trying to manage it in the back seat.

Arriving at the clinic and going home

The trip home is the part people forget. A pet that has just been examined may be quieter, wobblier or less tolerant of being handled, so have the carrier open and ready before you walk back outside. Ask at the desk whether you can wait inside with the carrier until the car arrives, rather than standing on a busy street with a cat in a box. On the way home, keep the routine the same: carrier closed, belted in, not opened to check on them. If someone is travelling with you, they can sit in the back with a hand on the carrier, which is calmer for the pet and easier on the driver.

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