I don’t think so!

 

            After the September 11 terrorist attacks, many bus and transit fans have been harassed for taking photographs when usually, they aren’t doing anything wrong. I am no exception.

 

            It is perfectly legal to photograph trains and buses from public property. In Canada, photography is covered under the Canadian Charter of Freedoms. In the United States, photography is covered under the 1^st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In both countries, people don’t have the right to make you delete your pictures without a court order.

 

            However, some people think they’re above the law. This page shows pictures I have taken in which someone wanted me to delete the pictures, but I refused.

 

            This shot shows TTC class T-1 subway car #5352 with an advertisement wrap ad for Rogers. I photographed the car at Finch after I got off because I liked the ad because it reminded me of my favourite TTC subway cars; the Gloucesters.

 

            However, one passenger said he didn’t give me permission to use his image. He was the guy with the jean shorts and the two bags in his left hand. I ignored him after I took two more photos and then I got on the escalator and told him I was photographing the train. He said, “Erase it.” I told him I wouldn’t. He muttered something, and I stood firm as he walked away.

 

 

            Here are two more pictures of T-1 #5352 taken at the same time.

 

 

 

            {Sigh}, when will these people ever learn? The photos below are from my most recent run-in with anti-photography bus drivers of YRT’s Newmarket division covered by First Student. Since August of 2008, I have been harassed by THREE drivers; two women and one man. Two of the drivers, I argued back and won.

 

            This driver wanted me to delete the photo just because she was in it. You can’t see her, and I was on public property. She didn’t listen when I told her I wouldn’t delete the photo because she had no right to make me delete it. She wouldn’t let me on the bus unless I deleted the photo, so I stayed off.

 

            This happened exactly one year after I fought back and won against another First Student driver after I had crossed paths with her on multiple occasions and because that victory was important to me, I wanted to mark it one year later; and this happens!

 

 

 

            A few minutes after I took the other photo, I called YRT and complained. I was as mad as I was at that Cleveland taxi company that made me miss the Lakeshore Limited on my Washington-Cleveland trip. A week later YRT responded saying that had talked with the driver and told her the situation. However, I had asked them to bring disciplinary action against her; which they didn’t. I feel all she got was a slap on the wrist.

 

            I also went back one week later and got to recreate the ride which I did a year plus one week ago. I also informed the Canadian Civil Liberty Association about First Student because of the constant problems other bus fans and I have had with their drivers. They responded thanking me for bringing this to their attention and would be drafting a letter to them.

 

2012 update:   Following a transit strike in 2011-2012 involving First Student and two of the three other contractors that provide YRT/VIVA service, YRT canceled their contract with First Student leaving those drivers unemployed. GOOD RIDDENS! (The other contractors soon settled with YRT.)

 

            During my trip to Montreal for the TTS’s 2010 Transportation Weekend, I went out in search of RTL’s oldest Classics. I photographed #6012; one of the oldest Classics in the fleet at Montmorency Metro station. The Montmorency bus terminal is owned by AMT. When I photographed 6012, an AMT security guard told me to delete it. I told him he had no right to. He then told me that I needed a permit and photography wasn’t allowed. I asked him where, and he pointed out a sheet of bylaws in French. It didn’t appear to say anything about photography.

 

 

            What’s really frustrating is that this guard wasn’t doing ANYTHING about people smoking when smoking is clearly against AMT’s bylaws. I later checked and sure enough, AMT’s bylaws say NOTHING about photography. The morning after, I phoned AMT to complain.

 

            When my friend Larry and I went out TTC subway work car fanning, we’ve been trying to get a video of H-4 work train RT-9 and RT-10 since it was the only Hawker work car train I don’t have a good video of. When we’ve tried, the crew hassled us because they can’t understand that we are allowed to take pictures without a permit.

 

            On September 16, 2014 we had a great chance as we got to Eglinton. We got into position and as we were filming, a subway janitor told us we weren’t supposed to be filming and to delete the video. We were able to convince him we were in the right, but by then RT-9 and RT-10 had slipped away leaving us annoyed and discouraged, but we resolved we would get it eventually.

 

 

            About a week later, Larry and I went back and successfully got a video of RT-9 and RT-10.

 

            Almost 18 months to the day of the last instance on TTC, I photographed TTC New Flyer D40LF #7309 as the 1999 vintage D40LFs are now the oldest buses in service on the TTC. The driver asked why I was taking a picture. I told him I was taking a picture of the BUS. He said that since he was in the picture to delete it. I told him I was not going to delete it and rode the bus back to the Dundas West subway station as I intended.

 

 

            After getting my second COVID vaccination in 2021, I started going out fanning at least once a week to make up for lost time. One of the things I was going for was to photograph all 28 cars assigned to Line #3 the Scarborough RT. While riding the line on two occasions I was lucky to get off a train at the south platform at McCowen station. Since trains usually only use the north platform to prevent rider confusion so going on the south platform was a rare treat.

 

            On the second time after getting off the train and going to the north platform I photographed and filmed the train I had gotten off when a teenager told me to delete the photo because he thought that minors can’t be photographed in public; (they can). After a little while, he must have realized this and he apologized to me to his credit. This was obviously not an act because nothing came of this.

 

 

 

            I will be adding to this page every time someone illegally wants me to delete a photo I took when they don’t have the right. Hopefully I won’t be updating this page too often!