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    1. Management

    STM launches pilot project to allow pet dogs in métro starting October 15

    Sept. 28, 2022
    To keep all customers comfortable while sharing the space with humans and canines, the new measure will come with a set of specific conditions.
    Related To: Societe de transport de Montreal (STM)
    STM
    Stm 63346264d5f82

    Starting Oct. 15, Société de transport de Montréal (STM) customers will be allowed to bring pet dogs on the métro as part of a nine-month pilot project. To keep all customers comfortable while sharing the space with humans and canines, the new measure will come with a set of specific conditions. 

    Instructions for dog owners 

    To bring a four-legged friend on the métro as of Oct. 15, riders will have to follow a few rules: 

    • Travel with dogs outside of rush hour, Monday to Friday, between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and after 7:00 p.m., and all day on weekends and holidays. Additionally, dogs will not be allowed during major events. 
    • Make sure dogs wear a muzzle for the entire duration of the trip. 
    • Keep a firm grip on the dog’s leash, leaving no more than 1.25 meters (49 inches) of slack. 
    • Enter the métro only through entrances and entrance buildings owned by the STM. For now, Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke Station is excluded from this pilot project. Discussions are underway with the entities responsible for the outer entrances to this station. 
    • Pick up and clean up any mess dogs may make. 
    • Keep dogs off all train and platform seating. 
    • Bring only one dog per customer. 

    The STM also strongly recommends not using the frontmost train car, as it is reserved for school groups, daycares, people with disabilities and cyclists. It is also recommended that customers not bring dogs on escalators, due to the risk of injuring the dogs. 

    In collaboration with the SPCA, the STM will use its website to provide advice for customers traveling with a dog and help ensure a positive métro experience for all. 

    Customers who use guide and service dogs will still be allowed to bring them on the bus, the métro and paratransit vehicles at all times. All customers will also still be allowed to use the STM network with their pet in a cage or other closed container designed for that purpose, and the current rules will still apply. 

    A sensible and responsible approach 

    “The implementation of this pilot project in the métro network will offer Montrealers who wish to travel with their dog a new option for sustainable mobility. I would like to highlight the collaboration and openness of all the STM teams, which make everything possible,” said Éric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the STM Board. “We will properly assess the results of the pilot project, in a continuous manner, in order to make an informed decision on the implementation of such a measure in the metro network.” 

    Applying to the métro only, the pilot project will allow the STM to more accurately assess several parameters, such as: 

    • Customer and employee safety in the métro. 
    • Integrity and cleanliness of facilities and vehicles, as well as maintenance needs. 
    • Impact on the quality of service provided to customers. 
    • Perceived transit experience. 

    “It is a big change for our teams and a first in the history of the Montréal métro, so we will do everything we can to create optimal conditions for this trial period,” added Nathalie Clément, executive director of bus and métro operations, STM. 

    Respect and collaboration 

    Every day, hundreds of thousands of people travel on the Montréal métro, and soon, dogs will become a part of that vibrant mix. The STM therefore invites all transit users to keep being polite and respectful, so that human and canine customers can enjoy a safe and pleasant trip.