The subway management regulation allowing visually impaired passengers to take guide dogs onto the subway in Beijing took effect on April 1 amid calls by blind rights advocates for greater accessibility for dogs in the city public transport system, the Beijing Times reported.
The widely acclaimed regulation, which was approved by the capital last year, also restricts performing, begging, handing out fliers in the subway and penalizes violators with fines.
Under the new regulation, the blind or visually impaired must produce a certificate before they can bring in the dogs, which must be muzzled, and the subway staff should offer help when needed.
The subway operators have also cautioned other passengers not to touch or play with the guide dogs.
The report said that at the start of the regulation's implementation on April 1, Chen Yan, a blind piano tuner and campaigner for greater transport accessibility for the visually impaired, together with her guide dog, Jenny, took a ride at the Tiantongyuan Station on Line 5.
Subway employees helped Chen and her dog enter a carriage designed for disabled passengers, and they later transferred to Line 2 toward their destination, Beijing Railway Station, the report said.
When interviewed, Chen said that Beijing still lacks regulations allowing guide dogs in buses and as well as taxis, where visually impaired passengers with guide dogs are often turned down by drivers.
There are only about 70 guide dogs in the country, with more than 16.9 million visually impaired people. Guide dogs are often denied entry to public transport, the report added.
Chengdu in Sichuan Province, Nanjing in Jiangsu Province and Shanghai have taken similar steps allowing guide dogs, although most cities in China still prohibit people from taking guide dogs on public transport.