Adriana Katić planned to travel by bus from Rijeka to Zagreb on Saturday. She duly purchased a ticket, but at the bus station she was met with an unpleasant situation – the driver did not allow her to board the bus because she was accompanied by a guide dog.
– I was not allowed to board with my guide dog, with the explanation that they do not transport animals. I explained to the driver that there is a law under which I absolutely have the right to use all public transport with a working dog. I also showed him Fanto’s identification card, but the gentleman said that it was out of the question and that he did not want to have problems because of me – Adriana Katić recounted.
The incident occurred on the Rijeka–Zagreb bus route, booked through the FlixBus platform, while the transport was operated by the company Slavonija Bus d.o.o. According to Katić, the driver, unfamiliar with the legal regulations, contacted a superior by phone, who instructed him to deny boarding because ‘they do not transport animals’, despite the passenger having presented a valid guide dog ID and explained the legal framework.
She was allowed onto the bus only after the police arrived, whom she was forced to call in order to exercise her legally guaranteed right. The police then confirmed what the law clearly stipulates – a guide dog is not a pet, and a person with a disability has the right to free access to all forms of public transport.
– This was the first time since I got my guide dog, Fanto, that I had to call the police – Katić emphasized.
She shared her experience on social media, stressing that she was not posting out of anger, but out of a need to inform and educate.
She stated that ignorance of the law must not be a reason for denying fundamental rights, and that it is particularly concerning when supervisors make decisions that are in direct contradiction with existing regulations.
She added that no one should be forced to exercise their legally guaranteed rights with police intervention, and she called on transport providers, employers, and responsible persons to educate their employees, because such situations, as she noted, are not misunderstandings but a serious problem.
The Act on Transport Concessions clearly defines public transport as transport available to all users under the same conditions, and includes transport by train, tram, bus, taxi, ship, airplane, and other means of transport. The same law stipulates that users of assistance dogs have the right of access to and presence in public spaces, the right to use public transport without paying a fare for the assistance dog, and the right to remain in areas designated for passengers.
Following this incident, as she herself pointed out in comments under her post, Adriana Katić is entitled to financial compensation. According to the misdemeanor provisions of the Act, obstructing the use of public transport by an assistance dog user carries a fine ranging from €663 to €2,654, previously €5,000 to 20,000 kuna, for legal entities that violate the law through such conduct.
The case of Adriana Katić has once again highlighted the serious problem of lack of knowledge of the law and insufficient education, as well as the necessity of consistent respect for the rights of persons with disabilities as a legal obligation and a fundamental standard of a civilized society.
