Montreal’s City Council has formally asked the STM to adopt a pilot project that would allow dogs on metro cars by the end of the year. The move follows the tabling of a motion and a petition by the Montreal SPCA to expand the current policy that prevents metro users from bringing most pets on public transportation.
The organization’s #FidoDansLeMetro petition has garnered over 17,000 signatures since it was published last December. The original goal was 15,000.
Right now, only service dogs and small cats/dogs in closed carriers are allowed to ride with their owners. The pilot project would allow leashed bigger dogs on metro cars, but not other modes of public transportation.
“The Montreal SPCA is pleased to see City Council formally request the launch of a pilot project. However, we question the decision to limit it to the metro,” said Montreal SPCA Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal Affairs Sophie Gaillard in a social media post .
“A very large number of Montrealers do not live near a metro station. For the sake of accessibility, it is crucial that the permanent policy to be adopted at the end of the pilot project allow dogs in the entire transit system, both in the metro and on buses, as is already the case in many cities around the world, including Toronto.”
A 2018 pilot project in Toronto found that having leashed dogs on public transportation had minimal effect on the satisfaction of riders. A strong majority of train users (80%) and bus users (72%) said they were satisfied or neutral about the new policy.
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