Revisiting The Photography Policy

[Guest]

I'd like to know myself, but I haven't even tried photographing buses and trains yet, since I'm too afraid to be bumped into trouble just for taking a picture, and then taken by officials and questioned. Originally I wanted to brave all those possible consequences and go remember the 6000s and 5300s tomorrow (Saturday), but now I'm starting to have 2nd thoughts.

Just go to downtown, so many people around no one will pay any attention to what youre doing. Just try to fil one or two then maybe a couple more. Go on State st. or Michigan ave where theres lots of people. Just remember to stay off CTA property

[Northsider]

I take lots of photos at Belmont and Sheffield, nobody seems to ever care. As long as you are not disrupting service or using professional equipment such as tripods, etc and the photos are not for commercial use, you really have no reason to worry.

[westing]

has anyone been told to photograph elsewhere

I was told once at Lake by a rent-a-cop that "if 'they' see you taking pictures down here they will take your camera" but she didn't stop me. The best way for taking photos on the "L" is just to be cautious and not take any photos around CTA personal. Its much easier than explaining yourself and makes for a better outing. Also it helps to not stay at one place too long. If your taking pictures for yourself, you probably wouldn't anyways.

In reality there is no way you should ever be hassled for taking photos of buses on public property. I was once honked at by a Pace driver but thats the worst. Of course if you are on CTA property or impeeding safe traffic flow, thats another story. ;)

[Guest]

I was told once at Lake by a rent-a-cop that "if 'they' see you taking pictures down here they will take your camera" but she didn't stop me. The best way for taking photos on the "L" is just to be cautious and not take any photos around CTA personal. Its much easier than explaining yourself and makes for a better outing. Also it helps to not stay at one place too long. If your taking pictures for yourself, you probably wouldn't anyways.

In reality there is no way you should ever be hassled for taking photos of buses on public property. I was once honked at by a Pace driver but thats the worst. Of course if you are on CTA property or impeeding safe traffic flow, thats another story.

Probably one of the best pieces of advice, do not stay in one place! When I went to NYC in 2004 I filmed along the Number "7" line but I made sure I was cautious. I would try to get at least three or four trains as well as runbys from each stop, then board a train and go to another stop, I didnt have any trouble. The one spot on the NY subway that I couldnt get enough of was the Canal st. station. The station has an double crossover interlocking. I was watching ten car R33 and R38 subway cars changing tracks over the crossover right in front of me. The loud squeal from the wheels, the sight of old NY subway cars switching tracks just kept me glued, I couldnt leave the station but I knew I would have to leave soon because there are cameras inside the station. So I jumped on an old R33 subway train and to my luck there was no one on board, I took advantage of the situation and filmed the subway car interior from front to back. The next car was empty as well so I filmed between cars to get that loud subway sound.

[Orion VIII]

I did not have any trouble whatsoever when I was in Chicago (and Pace territory) last August. Mind you, I only took a few pictures, and a video on transit property. I got both blank stares and happy waves when I was shooting on the streets.

Here, it's a different story. The city initiated the Transit Enforcement unit. It is a number of wannabe cops who wear police-like uniforms and drive police-like cars...however, they have very little authority, all they are allowed to enforce is Mississauga's Transit By-Law. There is no provision regarding photography in the by-law, however one of these 'officers' took it upon himself to claim there is. A transit supervisor got into it the one time, and when I informed him that "there is no provision regarding photography in by-law 0425-2003, therefore the basis of your request is unwarranted." He told me not to bring by-laws into it, to which I replied "then you have nothing to go on. Goodbye." I walked away and continued shooting. A few months later, I was approached by a Transit Enforcement 'Officer' who asked me for my permit. I said I did not need one, using the same spiel I previously gave the supervisor. The 'officer' did a double take, eyes popped open, then walked away. I have not had a problem since. I do, however, have a copy of 0425-2003 in my backpack with me. I'm waiting to be confronted again, this time I'll plop the by-law in his hand and ask him to "show me where it says that!"

[Buslover88]

Sorry for making a post on a old topic, but i'd like to share what happened to me today on #56 Milwaukee regarding photographing. I was waiting for the NB bus at Milwaukee and Sarcmento. Well, when 6824 was coming, I pulled out my camera to photograph it. So when I boarded, the operator tells me "I am calling control, don't be photographing me!". First of all, I explained to her, I didn't photograph YOU, I was photographing your BUS. Second of all, I photographed your bus from a public way and I didn't obstruct you.

What makes me even more ticked off about this whole thing is that she actually calls control on me and my MOM was on the bus with me for crying out loud (not that she sticked up for me anyway)! So when control arrived, they told me to delete my photos or face arrest, so I deleted the photos. After that, they told us to get off the bus and don't ride another bus for the day.

I feel so violated, its not funny. Personally, I got so upset to where I cried (don't call me a baby or anything, that's just upset I got). What should I do? Any suggestions? I will not get violated like that ever like that again, I don't care if she was a CTA operator or not.

[MVTArider]

Sorry for making a post on a old topic, but i'd like to share what happened to me today on #56 Milwaukee regarding photographing. I was waiting for the NB bus at Milwaukee and Sarcmento. Well, when 6824 was coming, I pulled out my camera to photograph it. So when I boarded, the operator tells me "I am calling control, don't be photographing me!". First of all, I explained to her, I didn't photograph YOU, I was photographing your BUS. Second of all, I photographed your bus from a public way and I didn't obstruct you.

What makes me even more ticked off about this whole thing is that she actually calls control on me and my MOM was on the bus with me for crying out loud (not that she sticked up for me anyway)! So when control arrived, they told me to delete my photos or face arrest, so I deleted the photos. After that, they told us to get off the bus and don't ride another bus for the day.

I feel so violated, its not funny. Personally, I got so upset to where I cried (don't call me a baby or anything, that's just upset I got). What should I do? Any suggestions? I will not get violated like that ever like that again, I don't care if she was a CTA operator or not.

Gosh thats awful I would be quite upset as well. This sounds like a good media story or something. Can't take a picture of a city bus on public property, sheesh

BTW for anyone who is considering photo taking but doesn't want to risk losing an expensive camera I found using a disposable and getting it developed on CD worked well for me. Still have not tried getting buses in action though. Now I'm nervous :mellow:

[Buslover88]

Gosh thats awful I would be quite upset as well. This sounds like a good media story or something. Can't take a picture of a city bus on public property, sheesh

BTW for anyone who is considering photo taking but doesn't want to risk losing an expensive camera I found using a disposable and getting it developed on CD worked well for me. Still have not tried getting buses in action though. Now I'm nervous

It was a very upsetting incident and I definately will email CTA about it, and maybe I should email the media about this, after all i'm only a 15 year old teenager who's disabled (sorry for getting off topic). That driver had no right to yell at me, especially because the fact I was on the sidewalk (which is city property).

I was so upset and angry earlier that I said to myself I wouldn't photograph buses anymore. But that decision would be too drastic, i've been doing it for a couple of years.

[MVTArider]

Reviewing CTA's photography policy (At bottom of page) I think you should complain to the CTA about your experience Buslover.

[jajuan]

Sorry for making a post on a old topic, but i'd like to share what happened to me today on #56 Milwaukee regarding photographing. I was waiting for the NB bus at Milwaukee and Sarcmento. Well, when 6824 was coming, I pulled out my camera to photograph it. So when I boarded, the operator tells me "I am calling control, don't be photographing me!". First of all, I explained to her, I didn't photograph YOU, I was photographing your BUS. Second of all, I photographed your bus from a public way and I didn't obstruct you.

What makes me even more ticked off about this whole thing is that she actually calls control on me and my MOM was on the bus with me for crying out loud (not that she sticked up for me anyway)! So when control arrived, they told me to delete my photos or face arrest, so I deleted the photos. After that, they told us to get off the bus and don't ride another bus for the day.

I feel so violated, its not funny. Personally, I got so upset to where I cried (don't call me a baby or anything, that's just upset I got). What should I do? Any suggestions? I will not get violated like that ever like that again, I don't care if she was a CTA operator or not.

Well I sent them an email expressing my anger that you and your mom were treated this way. I mean they really need to get a grip if they're so nervous about photos that you were asked to get off the bus AFTER you deleted the photo. Not to mention they subjected the other passengers to the delay of calling control and waiting for a supervisor to get there. This is just down right outrageous.

[Buslover88]

Well I sent them an email expressing my anger that you and your mom were treated this way. I mean they really need to get a grip if they're so nervous about photos that you were asked to get off the bus AFTER you deleted the photo. Not to mention they subjected the other passengers to the delay of calling control and waiting for a supervisor to get there. This is just down right outrageous.

Thank you so much. I'm writing them at the moment.

[jesi2282]

I know what you mean, this is happening to me more and more. When I go to take photos of buses I always bring a copy of CTA's photo policy with me, but what really gets me mad is that the drivers don't know or don't care to learn the photo policy, its like they make up their own rules.

Last year I was taking photos of 4918 in Hyde Park and the driver got off the bus and told me to delete my photos, knowing this could be my last time seeing a CTA Orion I (which it was), so while the driver was not looking I took out my memory card and pretended that I deleted all my pics, sucker.

[BusExpert32]

Sorry for making a post on a old topic, but i'd like to share what happened to me today on #56 Milwaukee regarding photographing. I was waiting for the NB bus at Milwaukee and Sarcmento. Well, when 6824 was coming, I pulled out my camera to photograph it. So when I boarded, the operator tells me "I am calling control, don't be photographing me!". First of all, I explained to her, I didn't photograph YOU, I was photographing your BUS. Second of all, I photographed your bus from a public way and I didn't obstruct you.

What makes me even more ticked off about this whole thing is that she actually calls control on me and my MOM was on the bus with me for crying out loud (not that she sticked up for me anyway)! So when control arrived, they told me to delete my photos or face arrest, so I deleted the photos. After that, they told us to get off the bus and don't ride another bus for the day.

I feel so violated, its not funny. Personally, I got so upset to where I cried (don't call me a baby or anything, that's just upset I got). What should I do? Any suggestions? I will not get violated like that ever like that again, I don't care if she was a CTA operator or not.

These type of incidents are also starting to tick me off. They're starting to happen every other time now for me. Why do CTA employees and passengers feel so offended if they see a camera in public? It's allowed in the U.S.A., so the only way this operator here can stay away from media is by not leaving her home, ever. Good luck with that. By the way, can anyone explain to us all why such a high percentage of CTA employees have no clue about the correct photography policy? Isn't it a standard to know this?

[Buslover88]

These type of incidents are also starting to tick me off. They're starting to happen every other time now for me.

Really? That is just horrible.

Why do CTA employees and passengers feel so offended if they see a camera in public?

That's a question I ask myself all the time. They don't really need to be offended, we're just taking a photo of the bus and its harmless.

By the way, can anyone explain to us all why such a high percentage of CTA employees have no clue about the correct photography policy? Isn't it a standard to know this?

Hmmm ... well, my only conclusion I can draw to this is that they either

1) don't want to be bothered with knowing it and

2) they don't care.

[Guest]

Really? That is just horrible.

That's a question I ask myself all the time. They don't really need to be offended, we're just taking a photo of the bus and its harmless.

Hmmm ... well, my only conclusion I can draw to this is that they either

1) don't want to be bothered with knowing it and

2) they don't care.

What you could do is try to photograph, just dont board the bus. Get your photo from a slightly farther location but also not so far as to ruin the shot you want to get. Or get your photo from across the street. Bus operators approaching a stop tend to keep their eyes to the right so that they do not risk colliding into something when they are making a service stop. They are concentrating on how they pull into the curb, so naturally theyre looking to the right. They wont see whats going on across the street because they are looking at their passengers boarding or alighting at the bus stop, believe me, I know! So I hope this helps, I also am very upset over this, I feel it is unfair and I believe it deserves media exposure. We have a right to photograph where we wish so long as we are on public property. I welcome anyone who wishes to take photographs in or around my bus. Heres my question, since when is it illegal to use a photo or video camera at anytime in a public area?

[MVTArider]

.... Heres my question, since when is it illegal to use a photo or video camera at anytime in a public area?

My guess is that it has been "illegal" ever since the tragic events on 09 - 11 - 01 While I can see forbidding unapproved photography in CTA train stations and high volume boarding areas I really fail to see how taking a picture of a bus on a city street would hurt. (After all I'm sure a terrorist would know what it looked like.) Now if you were using a flash in the middle of the night or something then that could be disruptive but this seems to have happened during the day, so I don't know what the drivers problem was. The funny thing is that there are so many different ways to get pictures now with small cameras, cellphones, Ipods?, etc. that for all we know there is a video of the whole incident on Youtube shot by someone sitting in the back of the bus

BTW good tip on photo taking. I want to grab a couple photos of Metro Transit and MVTA buses up here, I will be careful though.

Oh yeah Buslover, let us know if you hear anything back from CTA, and I hope you don't have to go through that sort of situation again.

[Buslover88]

What you could do is try to photograph, just dont board the bus.

Except I had to get on the bus (#6824) to get back home from my personal business.

Get your photo from a slightly farther location but also not so far as to ruin the shot you want to get. Or get your photo from across the street. Bus operators approaching a stop tend to keep their eyes to the right so that they do not risk colliding into something when they are making a service stop. They are concentrating on how they pull into the curb, so naturally theyre looking to the right. They wont see whats going on across the street because they are looking at their passengers boarding or alighting at the bus stop, believe me, I know! So I hope this helps

That is what I am going to do in the future.

I also am very upset over this, I feel it is unfair and I believe it deserves media exposure. We have a right to photograph where we wish so long as we are on public property. I welcome anyone who wishes to take photographs in or around my bus. Heres my question, since when is it illegal to use a photo or video camera at anytime in a public area?

Thank you for your support, I appricate it. I am starting to feel this does in fact deserve media attention. And that's my question too.

[Buslover88]

Now if you were using a flash in the middle of the night or something then that could be disruptive but this seems to have happened during the day, so I don't know what the drivers problem was.

Yeah, it happened at around 1pm this afternoon. As for the driver, she must have had big problems and I don't think i'll be boarding her bus if I see her again.

The funny thing is that there are so many different ways to get pictures now with small cameras, cellphones, Ipods?, etc. that for all we know there is a video of the whole incident on Youtube shot by someone sitting in the back of the bus

I hope there's footage of what happened today, that would be fanastic.

Oh yeah Buslover, let us know if you hear anything back from CTA, and I hope you don't have to go through that sort of situation again.

I sure will, something like this needs a response. And I really hope that never happens to me or anybody else ever again.

[Buslover88]

I recieved an email from CTA. I will post it a little later here for you guys (I have to get it from my mom's computer since I wrote it there) to see what they wrote.

Jajuan, thank you so much for emailing them, its truly appriecated by me and my mother. By the way, they made a reference about you in the email they sent us.

EDIT: I cannot get the copy of the email they sent us, it was accidently deleted in confusion with many other emails. Sorry guys.

[jajuan]

I recieved an email from CTA. I will post it a little later here for you guys (I have to get it from my mom's computer since I wrote it there) to see what they wrote.

Jajuan, thank you so much for emailing them, its truly appriecated by me and my mother. By the way, they made a reference about you in the email they sent us.

You're welcome. I had to let them the personnel involved crossed the line. If they're going to be getting all this money through our tax dollars, even if they did need it, then all their personnel need to realize they need to act accordingly and show more respect than was shown to you and your mother.

[nflyer22]

You're welcome. I had to let them the personnel involved crossed the line. If they're going to be getting all this money through our tax dollars, even if they did need it, then all their personnel need to realize they need to act accordingly and show more respect than was shown to you and your mother.

Yes, very true, and thank you all for helping out Buslover88, geez, more and more ignorant drivers are out there just don't get it...I mean, we all love buses, that's something too common among us, and we just want to take a picture once in a while to keep it in ourselves, especially when their time to go has come. I mean, geez, it's just a photo, it's not like its pornography or something (I highly doubt, 200% of a picture any of us take is of that purpose). Long story short, I'm just sorry to hear that, I had a similar experience several weeks ago when I took pictures of the buses in Hong Kong...the drivers had a small bad attitude on me, and when I told them I was a tourist from Chicago, they were like "Ohh, please do take! " But even with that said, I still want to hear what the CTA has to say about this, and many, many similar incidents of this that never make it on the news.

[TMC-RTS-08]

I recieved an email from CTA. I will post it a little later here for you guys (I have to get it from my mom's computer since I wrote it there) to see what they wrote.

Jajuan, thank you so much for emailing them, its truly appriecated by me and my mother. By the way, they made a reference about you in the email they sent us.

EDIT: I cannot get the copy of the email they sent us, it was accidently deleted in confusion with many other emails. Sorry guys.

Buslover, don't let this situation ruin your hobby. There are many drivers who just don't understand our hobbies and interests with buses. I've had several run ins with St. Louis Metro rent-a-thugs in the past. I've taken many pictures of the CNG Neoplan AN440s here, don't care much for the Gilligs Phantoms around here. I've been told to put my camera away several times on the Metrolink trains. One time I saw a broken down Gillig Phantom near my office (it is common to see these Gilligs broken down, yet Metro likes them and wants more of them). I took several pictures that broken down bus and a big lady rent-a-cop followed me in her Chevy Blazer. She rolls down the window and asked why I took pictures and told me that taking pictures of Metrobuses was prohibited. She told me to delete the pictures, but I pretended I deleted them and pretend to show her they were gone. I went on with my business. I don't understand why they hassle someone when I am not even on their property. This Gillig was in front of a White Castle, outside in a public place.

I still transit-fan, sometimes I get an odd look from drivers, but it doesn't deter me from my hobby.:)

[Guest]

Buslover, don't let this situation ruin your hobby. There are many drivers who just don't understand our hobbies and interests with buses. I've had several run ins with St. Louis Metro rent-a-thugs in the past. I've taken many pictures of the CNG Neoplan AN440s here, don't care much for the Gilligs Phantoms around here. I've been told to put my camera away several times on the Metrolink trains. One time I saw a broken down Gillig Phantom near my office (it is common to see these Gilligs broken down, yet Metro likes them and wants more of them). I took several pictures that broken down bus and a big lady rent-a-cop followed me in her Chevy Blazer. She rolls down the window and asked why I took pictures and told me that taking pictures of Metrobuses was prohibited. She told me to delete the pictures, but I pretended I deleted them and pretend to show her they were gone. I went on with my business. I don't understand why they hassle someone when I am not even on their property. This Gillig was in front of a White Castle, outside in a public place.

I still transit-fan, sometimes I get an odd look from drivers, but it doesn't deter me from my hobby.

If youre not on transit property you should be allowed to shoot pics wherever you please, dont let some minimum wage rent a cop tell you what you can and cant photograph. I sure dont take any crap from them.

[Buslover88]

Buslover, don't let this situation ruin your hobby.

I won't let that incident ruin my hobby. I'll be taking more pics when it gets cool out .

There are many drivers who just don't understand our hobbies and interests with buses.

Sometimes I wonder why drivers are drivers at all. I always thought they became drivers because they liked buses, but I guess most just are there to collect the money.

[Guest]

I won't let that incident ruin my hobby. I'll be taking more pics when it gets cool out .

Sometimes I wonder why drivers are drivers at all. I always thought they became drivers because they liked buses, but I guess most just are there to collect the money.

Believe it or not but most CTA drivers and I mean MOST! arent even interested in buses or the technical aspects of buses or are even busfans. You would be surprised at how little they know about buses or the bus they drive. They do it because its their job not because they like buses. Kudos to those CTA drivers who are busfans but for most they dont even know what a GMC fishbowl or what a Marmon Herrington trolley bus is, what a shame! Ill tell you what, this is one busfan who loves what he does. I do it not for the money, I do it because its my hobby. Now if everyone will excuse me but Im going to go have fun on the #606 today! Take care all! :)