TWO WEEKS LEFT FOR PUBLIC TO UNLEASH THEIR VIEWS ON DOGS ON TRAMS

Published 18 February 2025 at 2:53pm

The public is being asked to ‘paws’ for thought and give their views on whether all dogs should be allowed to travel freely on the Supertram network in South Yorkshire.

There are only two weeks left of a consultation, launched by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, to see if people want the current rule changed. 

At present, it is only possible for dogs to travel on a tram if they are within a carry cage or are assistance dogs. Most buses and trains in the region do not have this restriction and let all dogs travel openly with their owners.
When the Mayor took back public control of Supertram, last March, he committed to improving the service and passenger experience, to make the public more likely to take the tram.

As part of the improvement work, the Mayor wants to find out if the public wants to let all four-legged passengers out of their carry cages or not at all.

Anyone can take part by completing the consultation questionnaire. Dogs can bark or howl their approval, but all the answers should be completed by their human owners. 

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said:

“Some people have said that I’m barking mad for not letting all dogs on trams. It’s been a great bone of contention for them. I’ve listened and that’s why I’m now asking the public for their views.  

“Dogs are already allowed on our buses and trains. We need a fully integrated transport network for South Yorkshire, one that lets passengers move seamlessly between different modes of transport.

“The brilliant thing is that choices like this are now ours to make since we took back public control of Supertram nearly a year ago. 

“I’m pleased to see so many people having their say. If you’ve not taken part in the consultation do get involved and let us know what you think about letting dogs on our trams.”

Once the consultation has closed, the results will be analysed and based on the responses, a dogs on trams pilot scheme may be given the go ahead.   

The outcome of any pilot will inform a final change in policy, to permanently permit all dogs to travel on Supertram. 

The consultation is open until 12pm on Monday 3 March 2025. Anyone, including people who do not live in South Yorkshire, can take part. 

Click here to find out more about the consultation and complete the questionnaire.