Dogs are being given the green light to travel on Manchester’s trams

Pet dogs are set to be allowed to travel on Greater Manchester’s Metrolink following a three-month pilot.

The new plans allow canines to officially board the region’s trams and has been endorsed by councillors with the move to be made official by the end of the month.

However, Danny Vaughan, head of Metrolink, has agreed to consider introducing time constraints for dogs.

It comes after some councillors raised concerns over the plans, as Cllr Doreen Dickinson said: “When I’ve been on trams in rush hour, they are heaving – and it’s not fair to the dogs really because they get stressed and they panic a bit.

“I can see an accident waiting to happen at rush hour.”

The Tameside councillor also asked who would enforce any rules which would require owners to clear up any dog mess, adding: “I’m not saying let’s not have dogs on trams, I just think we need to tighten the rules.”

Last year, TfGM introduced the pilot scheme which permitted pet dogs to travel on the Metrolink network subject to rules regarding safety, cleanliness and consideration of other passengers being followed.

More than 3,800 people – including dog owners and those without dogs – responded to an online survey with feedback being used to make an informed decision on whether pet dogs will be allowed on Metrolink on a permanent basis.

Mr Vaughan said enforcing strict rules would be ‘virtually impossible’ because there are too few staff to do it and he wanted to keep the rules simple, adding: “I’m sure there will be complaints, I’m sure there will be incidents in the future, but we just need to keep on top of it.”

New rules state that ‘busy services must be avoided’ and dog owners must follow rules on safety and cleanliness, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Metrolink boss also explained that Transport for Greater Manchester is in the process of reviewing its policy on allowing bicycles on trams. It comes after mayor Andy Burnham committed to a trial of bikes on trams in 2021.