Leashed and muzzled dogs allowed on métro starting today
Starting Saturday, dogs will be allowed to accompany their human companions on the métro. And the dogs ride for free.
As part of a nine-month pilot project by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), dogs will be allowed on outside of rush-hour periods. They aren't allowed on the bus or paratransit vehicles, however, because the STM says those modes of transit can be too crowded to allow safe passage. Guide dogs and service dogs, however, are still allowed on all forms of transit.
The move to canine friendliness comes after a motion suggested by opposition party Ensemble Montréal.
There are several rules guiding the canines' travel underground, including:
■ Dogs may only be brought into the métro between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and after 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, as well as on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
■ All dogs must wear a muzzle from the time they enter the station until they leave.
■ Owners must have a firm grip on the dog's leash, leaving no more than 1.25 metres (four feet) of slack between the hand holding the leash and the dog.
■ Only one dog per customer is allowed.
■ Dogs are not allowed on any seats on métro trains or platforms.
■ For now, Longueuil—université-de-sherbrooke station is excluded from this pilot project.
DURING TRIPS
■ Customers with dogs must use the back or middle train cars and avoid using the frontmost car, as it is used by school groups, daycares, wheelchair users and cyclists.
■ Dogs are not allowed on escalators.
■ Dogs are allowed on elevators only if there is enough room.
■ Businesses and services inside métro stations have the right not to allow dogs.
The STM stresses that customers are responsible for their dogs. Any dog acting aggressively must leave the station immediately, and owners must pick up after their dogs.
Any pets other than dogs must be kept in a carrier cage.
The STM offers advice on how to prepare for your canine's first métro experience at bit.ly/3eysezw.