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 request the consent or approval of the Licensing Authority in the above situations.  

The following criteria are considered both practical and reasonable:-

(A) Approval of Advertising Material

All advertising material to be displayed on or within a taxi requires the approval of  the Licensing Authority.  The Licensing and Regulatory Committee has however delegated such approval to the Legal Manager (Licensing) or nominee. The Legal Manager (Licensing) will however refer any approval of advertising material to be displayed on or within any taxi to the Licensing and Regulatory Committee where the advertising material is not permitted under this Policy. Advertising material would not be permitted if it promotes the sale of alcohol or tobacco products; nor if it contains political, ethnic, religious, sectarian, sexual or controversial text; displays nude or semi-nude figures; or is 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.

Applications for approval of such advertising artwork require to be made on the  appropriate application form and accompanied by a copy of all proposed advertisements in full colour.  Applications for full livery advertising material must be accompanied by a coloured copy of the artwork showing the advertising as it is intended to appear on the taxi vehicle from five view points (top, left side, right side, front and rear).

The Licensing Authority will compile and maintain a register of approved advertising artwork considered suitable for use within/on licensed taxis.

No charge will be made in respect of administration at the stage of approval of artwork.

It should be noted that applications under this section of the Policy do not require to be made by the licence holder of the taxi.

(B) Approval or Consent from the Licensing Authority in terms of Condition 5 and/or Condition 7 of a Taxi Licence by the Taxi Licence Holder or the Taxi Licence Holder's Agent.

All applications for consent/approval from the Licensing Authority under this section of the Policy require to be made by the licence holder or the licence holder's 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, to the Licensing Authority. Other than in the case of a solicitor duly authorised to act, the confirmation must be signed by the relevant licence holder.

In addition to the approval of the advertising material detailed at section (A) above, applications for the Licensing Authority's consent, for a licence holder to display a notice, advertisement, printed bill or other thing on the outside or inside of a taxi, except where it is the name of the licence holder and the taxi licence number on the outside, or for the Licensing Authority's approval of the colour of a taxi other than black will require to be made to the Licensing Authority on the appropriate application form. The requests for consent and/or approval under this section of the Policy will be processed as follows:

For the advertising locations at (a) to (f) below, provided the advertising material has been approved by the Licensing Authority under section (A) of this Policy, the Licensing and Regulatory Committee has delegated the required consent in terms of condition (7) of the taxi licence to the Legal Manager (Licensing) or authorised nominee.

(a)   advertising to be displayed on the underside of the "tip-up" seats;

(b)   advertising to appear on a single door on either or both sides of the taxi vehicle (external) (provided it is of a permitted size - see section (C) below);

(c)   double door advertising (external) (provided it is of a permitted size - see section (C) below);

(d)   advertisements to appear on the internal windows of the taxi vehicle;

(e)   advertisements (only booking office number, QR code, "APP" and/or booking office name to which the taxi operates from) to appear internally on the rear windscreen; and

(f)    full livery advertising.

It should be noted that only one supplier or brand name may be advertised internally in a taxi and separately one supplier or brand externally on a taxi.

It should also be noted that advertising will not be permitted on protective "screens" within the taxi vehicle.

For all other locations of advertising internally or externally on a taxi, provided the Licensing Authority has given its approval to the advertising material in terms of (A) above, and separately applications for the Licensing Authority's approval for any other colour of taxi other than black, these requests will be referred to the Licensing and Regulatory Committee for consideration. Individual applications for consent shall be accompanied by the proposed advertising as it is to be displayed on the taxi together with the appropriate fee (please see section (D) below) as imposed from time to time by the Licensing Authority.

In general, applications for consent or approval in connection with advertising under this section of the Policy, will only be granted for the period of the current licence (maximum three year licence period) from the date of grant.

(C) Responsibility of Licence Holder

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.

Prior to displaying any advertisement for which an application for approval  is required under section (A) and approval/consent under section (B) of this Policy, the holder of the taxi licence shall have paid to the Council the appropriate fee (please see section (D) below).

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

It remains the responsibility of the licence holder to ensure that none of the advertising material, where it is displayed on the taxi vehicle:

·  obscures the driver's vision;

·  obscures the taxi vehicle licence plates issued by the Licensing Authority;

·   obscures the taxi vehicle registration plates;

·   obscures the name of the licence holder;

·  restricts or interferes with the passengers' entry or exit to or from the taxi; or

·  constitutes a danger to passengers or the public.

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.  Interior advertisements on the underside of tip-up seats must be securely fixed.

Permitted sizes of advertisements are as follows:-

Tip-up seat      -         38cm x 38cm

Single Door     -         99cm x 51cm

Double Door    -         175cm x 51cm

All advertising livery, if consent is given for this in terms of condition 7 of a taxi licence by the Licensing Authority, must be removed from the bodywork of a taxi aged 10 years or more prior to the taxi's annual inspection.

Advertisements will be checked at the inspections carried out by the Council's Taxi and Private Hire Car Inspection and Enforcement officers.

If a licence holder wishes to materially change or amend an advertisement or colour of the taxi during the period for which the consent/approval has been given by the Licensing Authority, a further application will require to be submitted to the Licensing Authority in the manner prescribed above.

(D) Fees

Double Exterior door advertisements - £25.

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

* Supersides advertisements (full sides of a taxi vehicle) - £50

**Hub Caps - £25

   Hub Caps & Double Door - £50

   Hub Caps & Supersides - £75

   Hub Caps & Livery - £126

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/consent of the advertising material under section (B) of this Policy is to be sought and the request shall be referred to the Licensing and Regulatory Committee for determination.