The incident reportedly took place on tram number 2, traveling from Kopli toward the city center, on Saturday, and a passenger told Delfi a woman with a dog had alighted from the tram, but the doors had closed while the dog was still outside, with the dog's leash trapped by the doors.

The witness said passengers tried to pry the door open, with one rushing to the front of the tram to get the driver's attention, but when the tram started moving, a passenger yanked on the red emergency brake lever next to the door as a last resort.

While this halted the tram and opened the doors, meaning the dog was saved from the worst outcome, the passenger who had activated the emergency lever said the driver then left their cabin and became both verbally and physically aggressive towards that passenger, physically shaking them.

The passenger under attack said the driver was shouting, including insults, in Russian only, and would not listen to explanations of the situation while other passengers tried to calm them.

The tram driver only let go of the passenger after another bystander explained in Russian what had happened.

Nonetheless, the driver continued to insult the passenger, according to the latter, viewing the whole interlude, which included resetting the brake handle with an emergency key, as an apparent waste of his time. The passenger said the driver showed no remorse, nor any regard for the distress experienced by any of the passengers, both human and canine.

Rasmus Saks, head of Tallinn City Transport's (TLT) transport sector, told Delfi the company is aware of the incident, adding it was too early to comment on the details, though an inquiry is underway over the coming days which will review security camera footage.

"For us, quality and safety are priority number one. We take such incidents very seriously," Saks said.

The incident follows last month's coming together between two trams at a sharp turn on the track at the Lubja stop. Repairs to the trams will cost an estimated €700,000 and take six months, TLT says, while the Lubja stop itself is set to be removed from the route.

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