Being given the finger?!

[notadriver]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/5219711/bus-spotters-abused-by-drivers.html

On the abuses Drivers vent fury at spotters

TWO bus spotters claim their hobby is being ruined by abusive drivers flicking rude hand signals.

Harry Blakeway and pal Martin Anderson have taken 250,000 snaps of their favourite vehicles around Britain.

Why is it bus photographers seem to get given the 'the finger' by bus drivers when snapping buses? I'm sure train drivers don't do the same to train photographers or do they ?

 

[Trainfan344]

Been given the finger plenty of times by bus drivers, yet never by a train driver.

 

[anthony263]

I have not really seen an train drivers giving hand gestures to photographers.
Most of the time train drivers seem to love having their photos taken.

Bus drivers on the other hand seem to have a bad attitude to photographers taking thier picture forgetting about the CCTV in the bus. The big groups have started coming down on this as when drivers are giving abuse to photographer it doesnt really present a proffesional image to the public.

Some bus drivers seem to really loving trying to get their picture taking leading to some competitions in some depots to see which driver can get the most photographers taken

 

[jon0844]

Train drivers are professional. Many bus drivers are too, but some aren't and are probably aware of the laws they break and therefore panic if they see a camera.

 

[Zoidberg]

Along the same lines, here's a local report about bus drivers giving rude gestures to ethusiasts taking photographs.

From http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/...-bus-spotters-upset-at-drivers-rude-reaction/

[Harry Blakeway] from Church Stretton, has been going up and down the country with pal Martin Anderson for the past three years. Between them they have taken more than 250,000 pictures of buses all across the UK.

But, as these pictures show, the drivers of the buses are far from willing models. Jobless Mr Blakeway, who is autistic, said some drivers responded with obscene gestures.

“We travel the country,” he said. “We’re careful not to get in the way, but some drivers get very angry.”

Former bus driver Mr Anderson, 26, from Telford, said: “They complain that we’re invading their privacy. But we are not interested in them – it’s their buses.”

But the other side of the coin ...

John Jones, owner and operator of Minsterley Motors, said: “It was the same bus he was taking a picture of, over and over and over again.

"I don’t know why he needs so many pictures of the same bus. ..."

Why would an enthusiast need pictures of the same vehicle 'over and over and over again'?

 

[burns20]

No one ever wants to photo me and my bus, usually at the bottom of Queen Square...but our fleet is fairly boring now.

Some drivers drive just as a job while others, myself included do it for enjoyment, is the word vocation a bit much?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I've only had the finger once and the V sign once in 34½ years of photographing trains. In both instances it was within the past few years, roughly 2 and 3 years ago. Different operators.

 

[43074]

I've never ''been given the finger'' but I was told to ''get a life'' by a (then) NXEA driver when I was photographing trains at Ipswich a few years back.

Members of the public (particularly people my age - teenagers) are my biggest problem when it comes to abuse etc.

 

[Harlesden]

Although an employee of the bus company, a bus driver remains a human being who might simply object to having his picture taken by total strangers. Most likely there is nothing in his/her Contract of Employment requiring him/her to submit to being photographed or filmed by random people and therefore a driver is well within his rights to object. The photographer/videographer is not a passenger and therefore not a customer

 

[Eagle]

But the thing is, these people aren't taking a picture of the driver, they're taking a picture of the bus.

If someone was taking a landscape picture and you happened to be in shot, would you object?

 

[90019]

But the thing is, these people aren't taking a picture of the driver, they're taking a picture of the bus.

If someone was taking a landscape picture and you happened to be in shot, would you object?

If I were in the foreground, then yes I may object.

I'm not that bothered by people taking photos of whatever bus I happen to be driving.
Most of the time I'm too busy actually driving the thing to care anyway.

 

[theblackwatch]

It does seem strange to take such a public facing job which is known to attract the interest of 'hobbyists' and then object to being included in a photograph while performing their duties. It would be like buying a house next to a railway line then complaining about the noise from trains. Oh hang on, people do that too.... :roll:

 

[Temple Meads]

I've had a couple of rude hand gestures from bus drivers, and none from train drivers, and I've taken a lot more pictures of trains than I have of buses..

Personally I haven't usually got a problem with being in someone's picture - in fact I rather like it - and I'd be the same if I worked on public transport.

 

[Mojo]

Of course if they were upset for privacy reasons, by making offensive gestures they have given themselves more publicity than the photographs would have otherwise generated.

 

[455driver]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/5219711/bus-spotters-abused-by-drivers.html

Why is it bus photographers seem to get given the 'the finger' by bus drivers when snapping buses? I'm sure train drivers don't do the same to train photographers or do they ?

Oh some do, I was once given the winker (sp) salute from an FGW driver at Reading because I took a picture of the HST he was driving, A quick email to FGW customer services giving the Location, date, time, PC number, Headcode, discription of said driver and link to the photo on my Flickr account was sent that evening, got the normal bullshoite reply saying that the driver had alledged that I had given him the finger before he responded with the salute but when I replied that I was also a train driver and that his allegations were completely untrue and the new CCTV recently installed would prove it. I then got a really nice reply saying the matter was in the hands of his manager. Do I think anything was done? Not a cat in hells chance but the back pedalling letter was quite funny!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Although an employee of the bus company, a bus driver remains a human being who might simply object to having his picture taken by total strangers. Most likely there is nothing in his/her Contract of Employment requiring him/her to submit to being photographed or filmed by random people and therefore a driver is well within his rights to object. The photographer/videographer is not a passenger and therefore not a customer

They are in a public arena and likely to have their picture taken, if they dont want that then they should get a job in an office.

I once had my picture taken at Clapham jn so I called the photographer over (politely) so he came flouncing over all big like expecting an earful but the look on his face was a picture when I asked if he could email me a low res copy and handed him a card with my throw away email address on it!

Never did send me the picture though, miserable git!

 

[anthony263]

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


They are in a public arena and likely to have their picture taken, if they dont want that then they should get a job in an office.

I once had my picture taken at Clapham jn so I called the photographer over (politely) so he came flouncing over all big like expecting an earful but the look on his face was a picture when I asked if he could email me a low res copy and handed him a card with my throw away email address on it!

Never did send me the picture though, miserable git!

I have had one polish bus driver ask me to take a photo of him standing in front of his bus so that he could email it to his family back home.

Mind you we even have enthusiasts going around now photographing Royal mail and other delivery vans.

I took a photo of one of Iceland's delivery vans and posted in on flickr for a bit of a joke, I certainly didnt expect to be emailed by someone said it was a good photo. I have even found a spotters group (That has gotten a few laughs at work)

We have the Eddy Spotters these day so there is interest in everything

 

[trentside]

I used to go out taking bus pictures all the time and managed to build up a good rapport with quite a few drivers locally, so it was often nice to be able to jump off at unusual locations for a better photo. Luckily, never got given the finger or v-sign - had a bit of grief off a few drivers, but managed to resolve the issues most of the time.

Indeed, I found a lot of drivers in my area are very enthusiast friendly. One of my favourite shots was in a location suggested by the driver - he did ask for a copy of the picture, which I was happy to provide!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trentsidetraveller/5758288063/

 

[455driver]

If someone wants to take a picture of the train i am driving fine, if they want to shove the camera in the window and take a picture of the cab I will tell them to fu um go away, that is about the only time I will get arsey with a photter. Of course if they asked me nicely I would take the cab pictures for them.

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

I've done a mighty two recording trips and got a wave pretty quickly during my trip to Levenshulme. It's the luck of the draw I guess, some people get horn blasts after horn blasts *cough*Northallerton*cough* but some get nothing for times on end!

 

[Bevan Price]

I sometimes wonder if a few of those who object to their bus being photographed are cheating on social security claims or something similar. Most of them seem to know little about photography - if the exposure is selected for best reproduction of a bus exterior, then the person in the cab can be barely identifiable.

 

[313103]

I have been taking photos of buses now for the best part of 30 odd years and ive had the two finger salute in a shot of a Routemaster bus driver on route 45 taken in Archway (Nth London) the year 1986.......!

Then ive had the other extreme only yesterday whilst I was at Hammersmith Bus Station mostly to take pictures of the new Boris buses on route 9. I got a thumbs up from a driver on route 190 whilst I was photting his Metroline Evolution. I have had more in then way of a thumbs up then any other gesture.

Some are interested as to the reason why we do such things, some think we should have better things to do.

 

[hurricanemk1c]

I've had no such problems here in Portlaoise. Most drivers will acknowledge you, some will talk to you while one even posed! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/950935...qgo-cLDt3s-cHRfYs-cKgfJA-9zcvjq-gSDrGR-gSAW62)

I have been told to 'get a life' and 'do you ever go home?' but not in the abusive sense. That only happens when it is absolutely pouring down with rain and I'm shivvering away. The only bits of real abuse have been from passengers, not staff. Once, while talking to a driver, a passenger boarded the set at the back with various hand jestures. We were both amused, to say the least!

As regards buses, although I haven't taken many, never had a problem with Trent Barton, NCT, Dublin Bus or Bus Éireann

 

[158747]

Along the same lines, here's a local report about bus drivers giving rude gestures to ethusiasts taking photographs.

From http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/...-bus-spotters-upset-at-drivers-rude-reaction/



But the other side of the coin ...



Why would an enthusiast need pictures of the same vehicle 'over and over and over again'?

Possibly taking photos of the same vehicle in different locations.

 

[RogerB]

Giving an obscene gesture in public is an offence under the Public Order act.

Doing it to someone with a camera must be the definition of stupidity.

 

[Titfield]

Why not send a copy of the photograph to the Traffic Commissioner for the area in which the vehicle operator holds their operator licence.

If the bus was operating a tendered or council supported service at the time of the alleged offence send a copy of the photo to the tendering / supporting authority.