In news that proves Sydney transport has truly gone to the dogs (in the best possible way), an iconic American Staffordshire Terrier named Athena just commuted her way into neighbourhood legend.
Yes, a dog caught the bus.
No, she wasn’t chasing it.
Yes, she sat politely.
Welcome to the most delightfully wholesome transit story of the week.
It all kicked off on the 476 yesterday morning, when Athena — resplendent in a blue puffer jacket and unbothered by peak hour — hopped aboard at Weeney Street on Rocky Point Road, Sans Souci, and settled in a few seats back.
According to photos shared on the local Sans Souci community group, she was grinning like she had actually paid the fare.
Confusion set in by stop number three, when fellow rider Nik realised the four-legged commuter wasn’t there with an owner. “After three stops he overheard someone calling out ‘Who’s dog is this’ and he realised nobody owned the dog,” Nik’s sister Katerina Hatzi told Nine News.
Never one to miss a stop, Athena rode a civilised 5km to Kogarah Station before, like any experienced city dweller realising this is not her line, disembarked for the next step of her journey.
At the station, though, things got a tad less cheeky and a bit more stressful. “She was so friendly, I was worried she would jump on the tracks as she couldn’t work out how to get off the platform,” onlooker Sarah Winwood told News.com.au.
Thankfully, some quick-thinking tradies scooped Athena up and delivered her to safety.
Station staff secured our furry fare-evader at Kogarah until the council arrived to collect her around 9:20am. “She was a friendly little thing and we looked after her well,” a staff member told reporters.
From there, Athena was taken to Sydney Dogs and Cats Home (SDCH), who discovered she had a microchip — but the contact details were unfortunately dated.
A spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo News that her real human is overseas, but a family member has now been contacted to (hopefully) collect her on Thursday. In the meantime, she’s been renamed “San Souci’s favourite commuter” and showered with love.
SDCH wants this to serve as a public service announcement for making sure your pets’ chips (the micro kind, not the hot ones) are up to date and that they sport a collar with actual info. Not because your dog is likely to start taking public transport solo, but then… Athena just did.
If you were wondering whether this is technically allowed, not exactly. Transport NSW rules say ordinary animals can ride the bus only with the driver’s permission, and only in a box, carrier or similar. But I think our girl Athena deserves an honorary Opal card!
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