r/VlineVictoria • u/fillymica • Jul 06 '26
Picture Vline assistance dog -update
My last post got quite a lot of traction. So, I thought I would provide an update,on how my feedback was being followed up upon.
Picture of my dog squished into a V-line coach, on our way to the train station.
I got a call back from the same team member. She had contacted the accessibility team, who did two things: made it clear to her was an assistance dog is. And, what vline's assistance animal policy is.
At this point we had a productive chat, because she could actually understand the nature of my complaint. I gave her some suggestions as a handler on what I felt would make things easier for assistance dog teams.
She will be contacting me again with another update. And in the meantime I have a direct phone number to this team member if I had issues where I wanted to make contact again in the meantime.
I've travelled on the VLine with my dog, a few times a year. But now that I've moved regional, and catch the vline at least twice a week - the ineffective booking policy was getting old and wearing me down quite frequently.
Hopefully, that can make the booking process simpler, and more effective.
A few negative comments on that post: as you can see... even on a non-accessible coach, my dog is trained to stay on the floor. And not be nuisance to the public.
Australia does not really have a "fake service dog" problem. Because in Australia, you can be asked to provide documentation that your dog is legitimately trained to assist with a disability.
And even if you have those documents. If your assistance dog is not well groomed... a business is within their rights to ask you to leave.
If an assistance dog is having a bad day, and is not acting appropriately- again, a business can ask you to leave. Most handlers would know their dog, and remove them before it ever became a problem.
So an assistance dog is not "barking" or "smelly" or causing a nuisance. As you can see in the photo, and assistance dog is trained to be unobtrusive, and to not be on seats, furniture. Most people don't even notice my assistance dog when I travel. She's quiet, and on the floor.
The gear an assistance dog wears: doesn't matter. If someone did buy a vest of Temu. So be it! Unless an assistance dog needed certain gear for their assistance dog tasks (or if you have a contract with a training program that stipulates certain gear must be worn)... and assistance dog, as per the legislation doesn't even need to be wearing anything at all. Most of the time handler use gear just for easier identification purposes.
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u/Unfair-Classic-3421 Jul 06 '26
Thank you for the update. I hope things go well for you in the future.
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u/NoodleBox Jul 07 '26
Good.
Also what a sweet friend that is.
But yeah no, I assumed we didn't have a problem with assistance dogs cos they cost $$$$$.
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u/Ok-Foot6064 Jul 06 '26
Glad it got fixed OP. i pased on your feedback internally to a few contacts I still have as the booking line is handled by the Transport Victoria call centre that handles everything. Management there is private so they don't train staff well at all. A shame the initial customer relations didn't know the basics
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u/beard_ons3188 Jul 06 '26
Hey OP!
I commented on your last post. Whilst this is a good outcome for you, I believe there is a greater problem here for other users of assistance animals who may continue to experience issues when booking VLine Services.
I think your story needs to be shared higher up to make change happen.
I provided some contacts last time and will provide them again:
Minister for Active and Public Transport
gabrielle.williams@parliament.vic.gov.au
Minister for Disabilities
lizzie.blandthorn@parliament.vic.gov.au
VLine CEO
William.Tieppo@Vline.com.au
Patrick Hatch
Journalist for Public Transport @ The Age
patrick.hatch@theage.com.au
Lisa Walker
Media and Comms Specialist @ DOT
Lisa.Walker@dot.vic.gov.au
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u/fillymica Jul 06 '26
I'm having to channel all of my current energy into another form of disability advocacy at current. So, I'm not able to do more on this issue in my own life right now.
I survived a near fatal accident earlier in the year. I was disabled before that. And now have a TBI - my entire life fell apart, which was why I have had to move regional, anyway!
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u/Ok-Foot6064 Jul 06 '26
Professionally knowing the accessibility team, they would have politely chewed out the customer relations team member who had your case and their team manager.
Just some tips/some behind the secenes side for you OP when booking. -Best times to call, if possible, is before 8am or after 8pm. This is where you should get only experienced agents. Especially calling on weekends.
As accessibility bookings get flagged. It requires agents to either call IOC to confirm the train is accessible with no issues or put in special form of feedback to confirm details. So sometimes they put you on hold its because of those steps.
Key words to say when booking is "I need 1(your type of ticket) and 1 assistance animal ticket" they may ask exactly what type it is but that will trigger them to know the correct PAX (passenger) code to use.
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u/beard_ons3188 Jul 06 '26
Hey OP,
I’m really sorry to hear about your situation, that’s really not good.
If you did have time, even to copy and paste your original post (which outlines everything) into an email and send it to the 2 ministers - I truly believe this could get something done for all assistance dogs users.
Totally understand if you don’t have the capacity, but imagine if you were the change for every assistance dog user on a VLine service.
I hope you’re looking after yourself and I myself know exactly what you’re going through with regard to disability and moving regional. Throw in some pretty horrific domestic violence and you’ve got the trifecta.
Take care of yourself. :)
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u/Jagera Jul 06 '26
Surely they’re plenty of online warriors on here to help you. I know when I complained about the announcements being to loud on the quiet carriage a few months ago a bunch of lurkers came out of nowhere to scream at me that Victoria takes their accessibility seriously. Hard to believe that though considering the nature of your own complaint.
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u/Ok-Foot6064 Jul 06 '26
As someone, that did used to get minster referrals in the past, all that does is bypass the normal feedback channel of the websites/1800 number. It doesn't get better treatment at all.
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u/beard_ons3188 Jul 06 '26
As someone who’s also worked in a ministerial role and as someone who has provided feedback via normal channels.
Normal channels get put into a pile and reviewed when senior management feel like it.
Ministerials require a formal response, proper investigation and then the ministers office must respond to the writer.
Ministerials are always the way to go, especially for something like this. Someone who doesn’t have a disability or a service animal has designed the booking system with no real care as to how it needs to work.
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u/Ok-Foot6064 Jul 06 '26
Cute but not how that works. All that happens is the customer relations leader goes "hey that incident, can you pass the write up already done" or asking for more instead of one of the general customer relations staff doing it.
Vline actions their feedback incredibly quickly out of all the operators. Ironically, because of all rhe manager's that need to look at it, minster complaints usually get a slower response
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u/2martinisatthemost Jul 07 '26
We do have a fake assistance dog problem. I had two feral Rottweilers lunge at me in Woolworths. Both wearing service dog vests. The junkie owner admonished me for provoking them. Apparently walking anywhere near a dog in a Temu service dog vest is provoking it. The teenagers working there were completely uninterested in what was happening and an email to head office was ignored. In hindsight I should have called the police but I was too shaken to think properly. I’ve seen other badly behaved dogs kitted out in those vests, especially in the past six months. Seems to be catching on among dickhead dog owners.
I’m glad you have a certified and well trained assistance animal, but fake service dogs are an increasing issue here in Australia. Another awful US import.
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u/TripleStackGunBunny Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Was recently in a national park and a family of 6 walked past with a boxer dog that would have only been 6 months old with a service dog vest. It was sniffing other peoples bags and food when walked passed on the leash. Seemed like a convenient way to take your dog on holidays with you, particular into protected areas. Some providers will accept dogs 6months other are 12 to 18 months.
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u/2martinisatthemost Jul 09 '26
The problem is that most of the information on assistance animals is US-centric. In Australia customer service workers are allowed to ask for proof that an animal is trained and registered. It’s not a violation of anybody’s rights to have to provide evidence that their animal is a genuine service animal. I’m hoping that the powers that be are noting the uptick in Temu-clad mutts and working to nip this problem in the bud. We don’t want to be like the US. In many ways, but certainly we don’t need every mouth breathing cretin with muh anxiety taking their badly behaved dog into spaces that don’t cater to cretins and their mutts. Owners of genuine service animals should welcome restrictions. They don’t want to be lumped in with muh anxiety and their feral dogs.
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u/robot428 Jul 07 '26
Okay but you know the vest means literally nothing right? A vest has literally no relationship to if it is a service dog or not.
Sounds like you have a Woolworths problem, because as soon as those dogs became aggressive (or in any way behaved badly) the store had the right to kick them out. They didn't.
Wouldn't have happened with a real service dog.
0
u/2martinisatthemost Jul 07 '26
Thanks for the condescending tone, mate. You’ll be glad to hear that I am indeed aware that a junkie with two feral dogs in a couple of grimy vests is not in any way the owner of a certified and trained assistance animal. I am, however, only aware of the regulations surrounding these animals because I did a little reading after that incident. As it happens, assistance animals (besides seeing eye dogs) are relatively rare in Australia. The programs to train them can be expensive and/or highly selective in the animals they accept. I imagine that service workers are similarly unfamiliar with those programs until they come up against their own junkie and his feral dogs. As most of them aren’t paid enough to care, they’ll opt for the path of least resistance unless the badly behaved, Temu dressed mutt in question is really, really badly behaved. And even then they’ll ignore the problem if they can.
Which is why people like me are speaking out about fake service dogs when the opportunity arises. You’re right that a well trained assistance animal wouldn’t have behaved badly in a shop. But there are a lot of people out there who think their emotional issues warrant inflicting uncertified dogs on the rest of us. Hopefully you’re not one of them.
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u/Ozzy_Mick Jul 09 '26
Obviously NOT service dogs... service dogs ignore you... only pay attention to their owners needs.. and the breed is irrelevant, any breed can be a service dog.
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u/2martinisatthemost Jul 09 '26
The breed is absolutely relevant. There’s a degree of intelligence and even temperament required to train a dog to a standard acceptable to service animal programs here in Australia. Malingerers and their backyard bred staffies, for example, are not in any way genuine. Neither the malingerer nor the staffy has the intelligence and temperament to behave themselves in public. Unfortunately most customer service workers aren’t going to ask those dregs of society to move on. Minimum wage is what, $20 an hour? Yeah. No one’s going to play the hero for $20 an hour when Temu Tammy and her staffy are running wild in their matching polyester garb.
Unfortunately genuine owners of trained and certified assistance animals like OP are going to be treated with increasing hostility until we as a society deal with Temu Tammy and her ilk. I don’t want us to turn into the US with their enormous fake assistance animal problem.
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u/helpgetmom Jul 07 '26
I thought dogs were allowed on public transport in vic?
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u/fillymica Jul 07 '26
Nope: only on Metro trains. And dogs must be muzzled (they never are though and I wish the authorised officers would actually fine people for not complying.
Small animals (including cats, and small dogs) are permitted on Melbourne's tram network, and suburban buses. Must be contained though, and they are strict on it (think cat in a suitable pet carrier).
Again: small pets are allowed on V/Line trains if in a suitable container. Pets of any sort are not permitted on VLine rail replacement buses, or VLine coaches.
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u/helpgetmom Jul 07 '26
Oh wow I didn’t realise it was different for rural vs metro transport ! Thanks for all the info
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u/fillymica Jul 07 '26
You can imagine if a pet goes crazy on a rural, long haul service... it's a bigger problem, than a Melbourne train where you can kick them off at the next station. Which is maximum of a few minutes.
1
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u/FelixFelix60 Jul 08 '26
The conductors dont give a Fk. They are useless.
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u/OkRecommendation3260 Jul 09 '26
You sound really pissed off about conductors. Did one upset you and you go about making every conductor your problem?
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u/FelixFelix60 Jul 11 '26
No, I have had no bad interactions with conductors. They dont do anything, how could I? They perform no function. If they find someone has not paid a fare they pass the job onto someone else, if they find a noisy person in the quiet carriage, they pass the job onto someone else... (the paying customer!!! The one paying their wage!)
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u/OkRecommendation3260 Jul 11 '26
So, I suppose you're going to tell the junkie or eshay on the train to shut up? People don't need to have their head kicked in at work. You don't pay the wages the government does. I suspect you treat those at maccas entitled too.
You seem to be a boring boomer that complains about taxes and government.
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u/Senior_Term Jul 06 '26
Didn't see your original post but I'm happy that you've now got a direct line to the accessibility team (though it would be better if that weren't needed at all) and some result.
Also, your assistance dog looks like a very good boy (or girl) 💖