BWATC is required under 49 CFR §37.167 (d) to permit service animals to accompany individuals with disabilities in vehicles and facilities.  If you have a service animal, your animal may accompany you on our buses and into our facilities. Please keep in mind that in order to determine that the animal accompanying you is indeed a service animal, BWATC employees are permitted under federal transit law to ask you these two questions:

  1. Is your animal a service animal required because of a disability?
  2. What work or task has your animal been trained to perform?

You are required to answer these two questions if asked by a BWATC employee. If you fail or refuse to answer these questions, BWATC may deny you permission to board our vehicles or enter our facilities.  

Please note that if an animal’s only function is to provide you emotional support or comfort, it is regarded as an emotional support animal, not a service animal, and therefore not covered by DOT ADA requirements and therefore is not allowed on our vehicles or in our facilities.

It is also important to note that your service animal is never required to be “registered” in any way with BWATC’s Dispatch for it to be allowed on our vehicles or facilities. You may board any of our vehicles with a service animal without BWATC having prior notice or knowledge that you have a service animal.

If you have questions about traveling with your service animal, please contact us at 810-987-7373.