Uber has just announced ‘Uber Pet’, meaning you never have to leave your four-legged friend at home again.

But is Uber the best and cheapest option when travelling around London? From German Shepherds to Great Danes, Essential Living has rounded up the best taxi options so your furry friends will feel safe and secure with you on your journey to the vet – we mean park…

Via Pexels

Uber

If you’re looking for which taxi services will allow your pets to travel with you, you’re not alone. Whether you’re looking to get a taxi home after a few drinks in one of London’s many dog-friendly pubs, bars or restaurants, it was previously up to the driver’s discretion whether they allowed a pet on board.

However, Uber has now launched a new service, allowing passengers to book journeys with their pooch. Fares with Uber Pet will now add a £3.20 surcharge within London for the journey, and an extra £2 for journeys outside the capital.

Just choose Uber Pet when you order your next ride, however you do not have to select the Uber Pet option if you are travelling with a service animal.

Bolt

A cheaper alternative to Uber Pet, however It’s ultimately at the driver’s discretion whether they will accept your fluffy friend along on the ride, as Bolt don’t have any kind of pet-friendly policy.

Unfortunately, this means you cannot check whether your driver will allow this before you’ve already requested a ride.

If you’ve found yourself needing Bolt with your pet, request the car as normal and contact the driver immediately after, you can then cancel and request another driver if there’s a problem. If the company charges you a cancellation fee, you can contact the company as you’ll be entitled to a refund.

We’ve heard most drivers don’t mind the average pooch, but it’s always safer (and courteous) to give your driver a call beforehand, as there have been the odd few occasions where the driver has refused. However if your pet is clean, and well behaved, there shouldn’t really be anything to worry about.

However, when it comes to policies on service animals, service animals are permitted to accompany riders at all times without extra charge.

Black cab

Similar to Uber, Bolt and Lyft, most black cab drivers will accept travel with a dog. You can use Gett, the black cab app, to request a ride and leave a note that you’re travelling with a pet. You will then have to wait and see which driver will accept the ride.

Minicabit

Minicabit’s new pet-friendly feature lets you know which of their providers lets you travel with your four-legged companion. When making your search query and choosing what luggage to take, select miscellaneous from the drop down to choose which animal you’ll be taking.

Sixt

Travel in style as Sixt Mydriver is a chauffeur and limousine service, which operates in a number of cities worldwide and offers a pet-friendly alternative to your everyday taxi.

Their pet-friendly service page reads: “As long as there is sufficient room in the car you book and your pet does not pose a threat to the driver then you are able to bring your pet along for the ride. Please make sure that you inform us in the comment section when you book your ride to let us know that you will be bringing your pet along. This will allow us to find the best possible ride for you and your dog and avoid surprising your driver.”

Here’s how taxi prices stacked up for pet-friendly travel for the same journey:

Bolt: £6

Uber Pet: ​​£6.10 + £3.20 surcharge

Black Cab: £9.40

Minicabit: £11.97

Sixt: £53.99