Advertising Policy on Licensed Vehicles (Taxis)

Advertising on Licensed Vehicles (Taxis) Policy

The Licensing and Regulatory Committee as Licensing Authority for the City of Glasgow attaches a number of conditions when granting or renewing taxi licences.  Condition (5) states inter alia "the taxi shall be coloured black or any other colour approved by the Licensing Authority".  Condition (7) states inter alia that "no notice advertisement printed bill or other thing shall be displayed on the outside or inside of a taxi, except where the name of the licence holder and the taxi licence number on the outside, without the previous consent of the Licensing Authority".  In the interests of consistency and clarity, the Licensing and Regulatory Committee considers it appropriate to establish a policy for dealing with applications to vary these particular conditions where licensees wish to display advertising material whether inside or outside the licence vehicle.

The following criteria are considered both practical and reasonable:-

• All advertising material to be displayed on or within any taxi requires to be approved by the Licensing Authority.  The Licensing and Regulatory Committee has however delegated such approval to the Executive Legal Manager (Licensing) or his nominee.
• The Licensing Authority will compile and maintain a register of approved advertising artwork considered suitable for use on licence vehicles.
• Application for approval of such advertising artwork requires to be made on the appropriate application form and accompanied by two copies of all proposed advertisements in full colour.  Applications for full livery advertising must be accompanied by colour copies of artwork showing the advertising as it is intended to appear on the vehicle from five view points (top left side, right side, front and rear).
• No charge will be made in respect of administration at the stage of approval of artwork.

In certain circumstances in addition to approval of the advertising material, applications will require to be made for variation of the licence as follows:

• No application for variation of a licence will be required in respect of: advertising to be displayed on the underside of the "tip-up" seats; advertising to appear on a single door on either or both sides of the vehicle; advertisements to appear on the windows of the vehicle.  In respect of these advertisements the Licensing and Regulatory Committee has delegated the required consent in terms of Condition (7) of the taxi licence to the Executive Legal Manager (Licensing) or his authorised nominee.
• In all other cases an application for variation of the licence is required.  When variation of Conditions (5) and or (7) is sought the individual licence holder will require to complete and submit to the Licensing Authority an appropriate application form for variation of the relevant conditions.  Individual applications for variation shall be accompanied by the appropriate notification of the proposed advertising together with the appropriate fee as imposed from time to time by the Licensing Authority in respect of applications for variation of these conditions.
• All applications for variation require to be made by the licence holder or his/her approved agent.
• Any person claiming to act as an agent on behalf of the licence holder, must provide written confirmation of their authority to do so and other than in the case of a solicitor duly authorised to act, the confirmation must be signed by the relevant licence holder.

In general, applications for variation in connection with advertising will only be granted for a one year period from the date of grant unless the applicant requests at the time of application that variation be granted for a longer period.

Consideration of and decisions on applications for the following forms of advertising have been delegated by the Licensing and Regulatory Committee for consideration by the Executive Legal Manager (Licensing) or his authorised nominee.

• Double door advertising (whether on either or both sides of the vehicle);
• Full livery advertising;
• Any advertising on the bodywork of the vehicle other than that which can be accommodated on single or double door advertising.

In general all advertisements must comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice issued by and amended from time to time by the Advertising Standards Authority i.e.; all advertisements must be legal, decent, honest and truthful.

In general, each application for approval of advertising material will be considered on its own merits but advertisements will not be permitted which advertise or promote the sale of alcohol or tobacco products; nor if they contain political, ethnic, religious, sectarian, sexual or controversial text; display nude or semi-nude figures; or are likely to offend public taste; depict men, women or children as sexual objects; depict direct and immediate violence to anyone shown in the advertisement or observing it; advertise any racist group or organisation which intends to promote such a group or such organisation and/or any of its activities.

Prior to displaying any advertisement for which an application for variation is required the holder of the taxi licence shall have paid to the Council the appropriate fee for variation of the relevant licensing conditions and shall present the taxi, fitted with the advertisement or livery, for final approval by an authorised officer of the Council.  Until final approval in writing of the advertisement as displayed on the vehicle is given by the Licensing Authority an advertisement may not be displayed or, in the case of full livery, the vehicle will not be permitted to ply for hire.

The licensee remains responsible for the content of any advertisement displayed on his vehicle, whether internal or external.  It remains the licensee's responsibility to comply with the current law and British Code of Advertising Practice referred to above irrespective of any consent to display the advertisement which may have been given by the Licensing Authority.

It remains the responsibility of the licensee to ensure that none of the advertising material obscures the driver's vision, the vehicle's licence plates, or the name of the licensee or constitutes a danger to passengers or the public where they are displayed on the vehicle.

Any applicant seeking exemption from any fee, which would otherwise be due, on the basis that the advertising campaign is non-commercial shall provide full details of the campaign at the stage at which approval of the advertising material is to be sought and the request shall be referred to the Licensing and Regulatory Committee for determination.

Only one supplier or brand name may be advertised on any tip-up seat or on the exterior of a taxi at any time.

Material used for advertisements must be of a quality not easily defaced or detached.  No paper based materials or water soluble adhesive paste may be used.  Advertisements must be fixed directly to the body of the taxi or initially attached to an approved magnetic panel which is then attached to the taxi.

Interior advertisements on the underside of tip-up seats must be encapsulated in clear non-flammable plastic.

Permitted sizes of advertisements are as follows:

Fees for variation of a Licence:

Double Exterior door advertisements - £25.

*Exterior livery (including any advertising on the bodywork of the vehicle other than that which can be accommodated on single or double door advertising) - £126.

Advertisements will be checked at the annual and random inspections of the vehicle but if a licensee wishes to materially change or amend an advertisement during the course of the year a further variation fee of £25 or £126 as appropriate will be payable.

* Supersides advertisements - £50
**Hub Caps - £25
   Hub Caps & Livery - £126