Spain · Regional bus rules

Can my dog travel on Bizkaibus in Bizkaia?

Checked · Official source ↗

No for big dogsYour dog is over 10 kg and doesn’t fit in a bag. Can it get on?

No. Bizkaibus only take animals under 8 kg.

What this means for you: Bizkaibus is the provincial network — Bilbao to the coast, the airport, the valleys — and it stops at 8 kg. A big dog does Bizkaia on Euskotren (Bilbao to Bermeo, to Donostia) and the Cercanías; the metro is still carrier only until its announced change is approved.

The rule, line by line

What Bizkaibus actually say.

Who gets on
Dogs and cats up to 8 kg in a closed cage or carrier, on any line. Article 16 of the conditions of use.
Who doesn’t
Anything over 8 kg; anything outside a carrier.
How much
Free.
Where they ride
In the carrier.
Never, whatever the size
Dogs over 8 kg.
Where this applies
Bizkaia provincial buses — the regional bus network. City networks and trains in the area are below. Double-check who actually runs your service.
Assistance dogs
Guide and assistance dogs ride free everywhere with their identification, and the carrier rules don’t apply to them.

Inside the region — city buses, metro, train

Dogs on Euskotren, the Cercanías and the Metro

The regional bus is one rule; each city network and train operator inside the region is another. 2 of the 4 networks below take a big dog — muzzled, on a short lead, and usually outside rush hours.

Where a big dog rides — muzzled, on a short lead

There are two networks where the idea is the same: lead, off the seats, and you clean up. Muzzles and fares vary, so read the row.

Basque Country — EuskotrenEuskotren · official rule ↗

Pets may accompany you when they’re neither dangerous nor a nuisance. Not on Euskotren’s buses or replacement buses.

Bilbao region — CercaníasRenfe Cercanías · official rule ↗

One pet per passenger, no weight limit, free — dogs on a lead and muzzled; local restrictions can apply.

Where it’s carrier only

Two networks. A dog that fits in a closed bag or basket on your lap rides. A dog on a lead doesn’t, however calm.

Bilbao — Metro BilbaoMetro Bilbao · official rule ↗

Current conditions (2024): a dog on a lead in your arms, or inside a carrier; cats always in a carrier; microchip required. A rule for dogs over 8 kg was announced on 19 June 2026 and applies once Article 18 is approved.

Announced, not yet in force.

Bilbao — BilbobusBilbobus · official rule ↗

Small domestic animals in a carrier; no weight published.

Checked 14 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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Find the right route for a dog-friendly journey

A connection with Bizkaibus won’t work.
The journey still might.

Send me your dates and your destination. I’ll find the right route for you and your dog — every operator, every transfer — or tell you straight that there isn’t one.