Looking for pet-friendly bus from Manila to Baguio? Check out Victory Liner because they have recently opened their doors to pets. I have been to Baguio many times but its charm and its cool weather are the reasons why I keep on coming back so I decided to bring my dog Ollie with me this time. According to Victory Liner's official website, Victory Liner welcomes dogs and cats to be transporte as long as they comply with the guidelines set by the LTFRB Memorandum Circular 2020-003 or the "Supplemental Guidelines Allowing Pet Animals Inside Public Utility Vehicles."
Requirements of bringing a pet in Victory Liner's pet-friendly bus
- Pet fee is equivalent to one full-paying person
- Pet has its own seat
- Pet should be inside the pet carrier or cage 100% during the trip
- Only Regular Aircon type of bus is pet-friendly
- Bring your pet's updated vaccine record especially for the anti-rabies
- Only small to medium dogs and cats are permitted
How to book pet-friendly seats ng Victory Liner
- There are two kinds: online via Victory Liner's website and personally in their ticket offices. We chose the online of course to avoid traffic and save time though there's a small fee that comes with it.
- You have to fill up one registration form per human passenger and per pet. Though it is a little weird that for pet, they are asking last name and email address because booking confirmation is sent per person or per pet. Since I booked for me, my sister and my dog, I received 3 separate booking confirmation email. If you are not able to retrieve all of these, there are no ways to prove you bought and paid for your tickets so please don't lose these!
- The regular aircon of Victory Liner is top-notch for me. Aircon is strong, the bus is clean, amenities inside are looking brand new etc.
- We were able to put Ollie that is inside the pet carrier on top of the seat we paid for him. We were honestly worried because we read somewhere before that pets should be put on the floor of the public vehicle. If this is the case, then why the hell we have to pay for their own seat? It is also very uncomfortable for pets to stay on the floor even inside the cage while the bus moves fast shaking them and they can hear the noise of the engine more. These are two big reasons for them to be in unrestful state that will in turn bark more, throw up or would cause bad effects to the pet's health.
This is also the reason why until I haven't tried the pet-friendly bus of Bicol Isarog or
Saint Jude's regular aircon because I called the CS hotline just few months ago. I
was told by the guy whom I spoke over the phone that the pet inside the carrier
should be put on the floor. Again, why the hell I should pay for extra seat for my pet
if this is the case?
- There were three bus stops that allowed me to bring Ollie outside to poop, pee and relax outside the pet carrier. Since Ollie is free roaming, we hardly put him inside cage this is such a relief for him to be able to walk a bit.
When the bus assistant aka konduktor doesn't see us, I open Ollie's carrier so he can
pop his head out a bit. I also gave him dog treats and offered to drink water. If he is
perfectly fine like not hungry or thirsty, he won't bark! The pet carrier I bought the
the day before was a little smaller. Good thing Manila to Baguio is just 4-5 hours
away! If this is an overnight trip or something that is 10 hours away, I am not sure if
Ollie is going to behave fine all throughout the trip.
Tips before bringing your pets to public transportation
Assess the behavior of your pet in public. Let me know your answers below:
- Is your pet NOT comfortable being surrounded by strangers? Does your pet bite people, destroys things, barks a lot and you do not know how to handle these situations?
- Does your pet grabs food from strangers?
- Does your pet barks nonstop when seeing another pet?
If your answers from these questions has at least ONE YES, you have two options:
better leave your pet home OR train him first. I am not a veterinarian or a dog
trainer but I am proud to say that I single handidly raised my dog to be nice,
well-behaved and potty-trained.
Does LTRFB now allows pets in public vehicles in the Philippines?
Yes! Please refer to LTFRB MCN 2020-003 because it has restrictions. Go check out the website.
What to do when a bus company insists you put your pet in the luggage compartment?
This is one of the rarest instances that I completely forget my good manners! We are sure Victory Liner won't tell you this but in case this happens to other bus companies, please be aware of RA8485: THE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT. It says, "No cruel confinement or restraint shall be made on such animals while being transported.
PAWS Philippines is encouraging us to report any bus company that will do this with your pet. Please get the complete name of the bus representative who gave this information and send this and the name of the bus company to them. Click HERE complete details of traveling with pets from PAWS Philippines.
FYI. I made a separate blog post about GUIDE TO PET-FRIENDLY BUSES IN MANILA TO BAGUIO, LA UNION, TAGAYTAY, AND BICOL WE RECOMMEND. Click HERE to read it.
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