Today (August 1) marks the beginning of dogs being allowed on Metrolink. The trial, a manifesto pledge made by Andy Burnham which has been delivered by Transport for Greater Manchester and tram operator Keolis Amey Metrolink, will last for three months and will be monitored for safety and respect of other passengers.
While dog owners can now bring their pets on the trams for free, there are rules in place for those wishing to travel with a pooch. Dogs must be kept on leads and there is a maximum of two dogs per metrolink passenger.
The new guidance is now a part of the services conditions of carriage, which includes an option for refusal if the dog appears uncontrolled or dangerous. Furthermore, dogs are not allowed on seats and must not obstruct the wheelchair spaces on the trams.
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One dog owner, who is very pleased with the change, Samuel Bell, a Mortgage Broker who lives on Deansgate brought his dog, George, on the tram this morning. Samuel, who has previously petitioned for dogs to be allowed on the trams, was excited for it to finally be a reality.
He said: “Me and my friend tried with a Facebook petition, but this was years ago, and it did get somewhere but they just said safety concerns. Which I thought was ridiculous, because they can go on the buses, you can take them on trains, on the London Underground.
“I think it’s great because there’s so many places in town now that let dogs in like restaurants, hotels, our apartment block, but if you want to get out of town it’s either drive or taxi. We got rid of our car a few months ago so it just makes all the difference, we can go to Sale Water Park, and all places like that.
“I think Manchester wants to be more like London and I think this is great, it’s really good. I just hope that no one ruins it."
Safety concerns were the biggest worry people using the Metrolink service today had about dogs being allowed on the tram, and while Samuel hopes the trial will be a success, he believes it's down to other dog owners to be responsible, saying: “It’s down to the dog owner, if you’ve got a dog who isn’t good in confined spaces or with people then you hope they’d have the common sense to say: ‘you know what, I won’t take him on the tram’.
“As long as the owner is responsible, and it’s their responsibility at the end of the day, just like it is with kids when you see them charging around, running up and down.”
Barbara Kocaj, who lives in Altrincham, wanted to know if the new rules applied to all pets. As a cat owner, she explained how she sometimes struggled to find a taxi which would take her and her cat to the vet, but being able to take the cat on the tram would be much easier.
She said: “Are cats allowed as well? Because if its just dogs, if dogs are allowed then why not all pets?
“It’s a good idea because taxis are expensive and charge extra when you’ve got a pet.”
Alan Faulkner, who is retired and lives in Droylsden is concerned about the safety of passengers if an uncontrolled dog is brought onboard. He said: “I’ve seen one or two bring them so far today, and that’s okay. But I’m waiting for buddy boy to come on with his pitbull.
“They’ll bring them on when it’s crowded and someone will step on the dog’s paw. There is the safety aspect and that’s most important.
“On buses and trains you pay for the dog, you can’t pay on these machines!”
Eleanor Pybus, who lives in Oldham shared Alan’s concerns for safety. She said: “I think the problem is that you never know a dog’s temperament and they can have a different temperament with different people.
“If you stand on the dog’s paw and it turns. It’s an instant reaction, not aggressive or the dog’s fault.
“It’s safety, safety is the real problem. You get kids who want to touch them.
“You see safety officers struggling to keep kids under control. They’re struggling to keep teenagers behaving, how will they police dogs?”
One tram customer, who had to catch a tram before he was able to give his name, was surprised to learn that dogs were only just allowed on the trams, having seen them on the Metrolink service before.
He said: “I’m surprised that they weren’t allowed on before. They’re allowed on buses and trains and it’s no different.
“There was a rule that you could bring your dog on a tram if you were taking the animal to the vet. I’ve been on the tram before and this passenger was stopped and then said he was taking the dog to the vet and then was allowed on.”
While previously it was a rule that dogs could be brought onto the trams if visiting the pet hospital at Old Trafford, this rule has not been in place since 2019.
A spokesperson for Transport for Greater Manchester explained: "Metrolink did allow passengers to take their dogs onto trams if they were going to visit The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) pet hospital at Old Trafford, but this was removed as a condition after the PDSA relcoated to Gorton, which is not served by the network. Passengers were required to call customer services to be granted permission to travel."
Metrolink have released a survey , asking customers to decide whether pet dogs should continue to be allowed on trams after the pilot ends. The survey, available to respond to from today, explains: “it’s important that we hear your views and experiences - whether you travel with a dog or not.
“The outcome very much depends on the feedback you give us, that’s why we’re encouraging everyone to tell us about their experience via the online survey.”
Greater Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham said: "We want the Bee Network to work for everybody and for public transport to be as accessible as possible. Running a pilot scheme allowing non-assistance dogs on Metrolink was one of the pledges I made when I was re-elected as mayor, and I want to thank TfGM and KAM for working together to make this a reality.
"I would now urge everyone who uses Metrolink during this period, including dog owners and those without dogs, to take part in the survey to provide us with the valuable insight we need to inform whether or not we make this permanent."
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