France · Regional bus rules
Can my dog travel on Fluo coaches in Grand Est?
Checked · Official source ↗
No. Your dog has to fit in a closed carrier.
What this means for you: Don’t count on a Fluo coach to get you between towns here — either way, you’re choosing places with a station. Metz is the friendliest city in the region: a dog on a lead rides the bus with no muzzle asked for. Strasbourg takes dogs on the tram, muzzled — not the bus. Mulhouse takes dogs on the bus, muzzled, off-peak — not the tram. Reims, Nancy and Colmar are carrier only.
The rule, line by line
What Fluo coaches actually say.
- Who gets on
- Small pets — dogs, cats, birds — in a properly closed basket or cage no longer than 45 cm, held on your lap for the whole ride.
- Who doesn’t
- A dog on a lead, whatever its size. “All other categories of animals are strictly forbidden on the coaches.”
- How much
- Not stated for an animal in a basket.
- Where they ride
- On your lap, in the basket. You hold it the whole way.
- Never, whatever the size
- Anything not in a closed basket or cage.
- Where this applies
- Grand Est — regional coaches. City buses are below. Double-check who actually runs your service.
- Assistance dogs
- Guide dogs and assistance dogs for people with a disability ride. The regulation asks for the dog to have been through recognised training.
City buses are a different story (sometimes)
Dogs on city buses in Metz, Strasbourg, Mulhouse, Reims, Nancy and Colmar
Regional coaches are one rule; the buses inside each town are another, set by the town’s own operator, and I read each one in the French. 3 of the 6 networks I could verify take a big dog on a lead and muzzle.
Where a big dog rides the city bus — on a lead and muzzled
There are three networks where the idea is the same: lead, off the seats, and you clean up. Muzzles and fares vary, so read the row.
Pets are admitted as long as they’re no nuisance or danger and stay off the seats. Only category 2 dogs must be muzzled and on a lead held by an adult. Category 1 dogs are banned. Small animals are carried in your hands, not left at your feet.
On the trams, dogs ride muzzled and on a short lead, kept away from other passengers. On the buses only small animals in a closed container are admitted. Dogs classed as dangerous can’t board at all.
Tram yes, bus no. Plan the last connection on the tram map, not the bus map.
Medium and big dogs ride “only on the bus, off-peak and if there’s room”, muzzled and on a lead held by an adult. They’re banned from the trams, tram-trains, coaches and on-demand services. Small dogs and cats carried or in a basket ride free on everything.
Where it’s carrier only
Three networks. A dog that fits in a closed bag or basket on your lap rides. A dog on a lead doesn’t, however calm.
“Animals forbidden!” — then: your dog or cat is welcome, carried in a bag or basket. Guide dogs with their card are accepted.
Dogs are banned from the buses and trams, with a €180 fine reported for breaking it. Guide dogs and dogs in a basket or small crate are the exceptions.
The operator’s own page couldn’t be reached; this is the local press quoting the rule. Treat as carrier only.
“All animals, including medium and big dogs, are forbidden” except guide dogs. Small animals in a basket, cage or bag ride free.
Checked 13 September 2026. Local rules change more often than the area rule — recheck the week you travel.
Your next step
So what do you do instead?
Three alternatives, in the order I’d try them.
- Choose a location that’s serviced by a train.Ideally a station in the town itself, not a railhead half an hour out. Look at the walk from platform to front door before you book — a dot on the map isn’t the same as an easy last connection with a big dog.
- Walk it.Under about 3 km on a proper path, walking usually beats the alternatives — and it’s the one option nobody can refuse you.
- Book a taxi, an Uber, or a private car service.Check they take dogs, and book before you go. Turning up at a rank with a 30 kg dog and no arrangement is where these trips actually fall apart.