Fur-taxi and the Furious: How India's pet cabs are rescuing the rides for furry passengers
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Maya, a wide-eyed indie with a nervous bark, trembled as the first Diwali crackers burst in the Bengaluru sky last year. Her pet parents, Rahul Chawda and Aarti Karwayun, knew the drill. Like every year, they had booked a pet-friendly stay in the countryside. But as usual, every regular cab they summoned turned back the moment they saw Maya.'Every year, the driver would either cancel or reluctantly allow her in, only to complain later. It was uncomfortable for everyone—driver, dog and us,' says Chawda.It's a common story in urban India where pet ownership is climbing steadily. With over 32 million pets today—projected to rise to 51 million by 2028, according to India Brand Equity Foundation—more families are finding themselves stranded with furry dependents and no rides.Enter pet cabs.It was during Covid-19 lockdowns that Mumbai-based Arpita Sandilya first felt the need for a pet transport service—not for emergencies, but to send rescued dogs to their adoption homes. 'That was my first real trigger, to be honest. I used my own car for rescues, and the idea just grew from there. I thought, why not start a service that helps rescuers and pet parents?' says Sandilya, who now runs a two-car fleet under her venture, TaxiForPaws Like many others in this space, she faces challenges. 'Finding pet-friendly drivers is hard. Not everyone is comfortable around animals or ready to clean the car after each ride.' Her cars are outfitted with blankets, bowls and custom-made dog-seat belts. 'Each trip ends with a deep clean—it is expensive, but essential.'Another Mumbai-based player, SDAASH Pet Cabs, started in 2022 after founder Pranav Lokhande lost his pet when no cab agreed to transport them. 'It cost us dearly,' says Heenal Lokhande , who runs the operations of two cars.SDAASH modifies its vehicles by removing the front passenger seat to create space for a soft bed. 'Some pets want to be beside their humans; others love their own space,' says Heenal.Like TaxiForPaws, each ride of SDAASH is followed by a deep clean, and incidents like vomiting or peeing send the car straight to the wash station. The roadblock it faces is also similar—drivers. 'At times we ride the cab ourselves when drivers do not turn up, because we know the pain of not getting a cab on time.'In Delhi, FurryTaxi has faced similar hurdles. Founder Anurag Tripathi, who started the service with ad-hoc rescues in 2019 and later shifted to a structured service in 2022, now operates eight cars. 'In the past six months alone, we have done long-haul trips to Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Srinagar. It's growing,' says Tripathi.But again, the crunch is drivers. 'Drivers must be pet-friendly, trained and calm even when a Rottweiler barks mid-ride.' Each driver goes through a vetting process: 'They accompany me for initial rides, then handle a few with owners onboard, before going solo,' says Tripathi. People use the service for veterinarian visits, boarding stations and airport visits. Pets can travel solo or their pet parents can accompany them in the cars.Most demand comes from metro cities—Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru.For cross-country journeys, platforms like FidoJet and CarryMyPet are leading the charge.Gurgaon-based FidoJet started in 2018 when its founders—Rajesh Sharma, Manjeet Swami and Nikhil Khalera—noticed that pets were often shipped like cargo. 'We were pet parents ourselves. Watching animals treated like packages was painful,' says cofounder Khalera.They began with road travel and now offer help with air and rail travel as well. It is supported by over 150 vehicles via vendor networks. Their cars come with booster seats, harness seat belts and non-slip cushions.Popular routes are Delhi–Mumbai, Bengaluru–Kochi and Hyderabad–Goa. Pricing ranges from ₹12/km to ₹20/km depending on distance. 'Over 90% of the demand is from metros,' says Khalera. 'But we have handled everything from senior dogs to blind pets. Every case requires planning, patience and empathy.'No story captures this better than that of Dobby, a wheelchair-bound stray adopted during the pandemic. Carry My Pet helped relocate Dobby from Nagpur to Poland. 'The owner had every reason to leave Dobby behind. But she chose love,' says Faisal Islam , cofounder, Carry My Pet. 'We managed her journey across continents, with careful coordination and tailored care.'Carry My Pet, headquartered in Gurgaon, operates on an asset-light model, partnering with logistics firms across India. They offer multimodal pet relocation by air, train and road. Their pricing starts at ₹13/km for cabs, ₹10,000 for relocation via train and ₹25,000 for domestic flights.Islam notes that demand is rising about 10% year-on-year. 'Pet owners today want real-time tracking, transparency and expert help.'But it's not all smooth. Regulatory ambiguity, breed restrictions, lack of pet-friendly rail infrastructure and inconsistent airport facilities still pose hurdles. 'We have relocated thousands of pets with a zero-harm record, but every ride demands precision,' says Islam.Another relocation he recalls is moving a Labrador named Ludo from Delhi to Port of Spain, via a complex, multi-leg route through Miami and the Caribbean. 'It took weeks of planning, but seeing Ludo reunited with his family was worth everything.'Even tech majors are watching. Uber, for instance, has introduced Uber Pet in cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru. Pet parents confirm that while it's a welcome addition, the experience is still inconsistent.'Drivers often are not prepared, and there are no comfortable amenities,' says a Mumbai-based user. 'But it is better than nothing, especially when specialised services aren't available.'India's pet and pet-care market is forecast to double to $7 billion by 2028, according to consulting firm Redseer. As pets take centre stage in urban homes, pet-cab services have shifted from niche novelty to everyday essential
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