Mass transit authority imposes fee on media coverage

Mandatory for all outlets to obtain permission, pay for coverage access with amount dependent on station category

LAHORE:

The Punjab Masstransit Authority (PMA) has introduced fee for media outlets seeking to film or photograph Lahore’s Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) stations.

According to the newly issued directions, all media organisations will be required to seek permission and pay for coverage access, with the fee amount dependent on the station category.

The Masstransit Authority has classified stations into three categories based on prominence, historic significance and ridership.

An OLMT official told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that eight Category-A stations comprising the busiest transit hubs would now cost the media companies Rs246,000 per station for coverage privileges.

For Category B stations, of which there are 10, the fee will be Rs185,000 for each station. The eight stations designated Category-C will have a coverage fee of Rs124,000 each.

The transit authority says these new fees were aimed at streamlining the media coverage permitting process at their public transit stations.

This decision means that the media outlets will now have to factor in these charges when planning coverage focused on the country’s first metro train site, which provides transportation to millions of people.

A metro train contractor said: “We occasionally make promotional videos on metro stations for promotion of the service.

But the authority has started imposing same tariffs for us. However, some leniency is observed in this protocol during special events, like visits of dignitaries and senior Pakistani and Chinese officials, in which the PMA is directly involved.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2023.