Auckland Transport has announced that household pets will now be permanently welcome onboard buses, trains and ferries.
It comes after the success of two previous pets on buses trials earlier this year, with small domestic pets in carriers and large dogs with muzzles and leads.
This announcement means that household pets will be seen regularly onboard Auckland's public transport.
Auckland Councillor Josephine Bartley is looking forward to seeing more pets on public transport across the city.
"This news is really positive and I'm excited to see Aucklanders making the most of it," Bartley said.
"Up until now the rules around pets on public transport have forced many pet owners to rely on cars for essential trips to the vet or the groomers, but now they can use buses, trains and ferries throughout Auckland."
Auckland Transport's improvement delivery lead Luke Clarke said they had received "valuable feedback" during the two trials.
"We've used this feedback from our customers, bus operators, and accessibility groups to make this final decision and set the terms and conditions for pets onboard our services," he said.
"Those of us with pets know how important our animals are as part of the family.
"It seems that many of our customers also view this announcement as Auckland catching up with other pet-friendly cities around the world, where pets are a regular sight onboard the tube, subway or metro."
"No matter how old your pets are in dog years or cat years, they'll be able to travel for free onboard our services, with no need to apply for a Su-paw Gold Card," he joked.
There are a few rules for taking pets onboard, including that they must travel outside of peak hours and bigger dogs must wear a cage-type muzzle and a lead if they do not fit into an approved carrier.
Service and assistant dogs are allowed on all services without a muzzle.
