Pixiq

In the latest installment of transportation officials not knowing their own photography policy, a group of university students entered a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority station to take photos, only to be told it was forbidden.

However, the MBTA policy on photography, which is clearly stated on its website, states that non-commercial photography is allowed as long as the photographer provides identification as soon as they start getting harassed by employees.

Photographers shooting commercial photography must first obtain a permit.

But according to the photographer whose name is Elizabeth, the MBTA employee informed them she had undergone training three years ago and learned that “all photographic activity on MBTA property was strictly prohibited.”

The fact that Elizabeth pulled up the policy from the MBTA website on her cell phone did nothing to change their opinion.

The employees called dispatch and the students ended up leaving before anybody arrived.

It was almost like a deja vu of my incident at the Miami Metrorail station where we showed the guards a copy of the statute that proved we were allowed to shoot non-commercial photos inside the stations, only to get permanently banned from the entire system.

Fortunately it didn’t get to the point like it did with Duane Kerzic who was arrested by Amtrak police for taking pictures for an Amtrak-sponsored photo contest called “Picture Our Trains.”

Or maybe they should have let it get to that point because Kerzic ended up winning a five-figure settlement.