the goan I network
PANAJI
The transport department has notified a new policy for fees to be levied on cabbies for displaying advertisements on their public transport vehicles which is hugely biased towards the GTDC hand-held app-based taxi service.
According to the policy, taxis registered on the GoaMiles app-based service will have to pay just Rs 5000 annually to the transport department to display advertisements on their vehicles while other cabbies are mandated to pay four times more i.e. Rs 20,000.
In the new guidelines on display of an advertisement on a public transport vehicle, motor cabs with a digital meter and GPS system, the annual rate is Rs 20,000 and for app-based taxi system the rate is only Rs 5000.
Cabs attached to GoaMiles which is the only app-based taxi service operational in Goa, will get the added advantage.
With these guidelines, the transport department has fixed annual rates of fees to display advertisements on different public transport vehicles.
With the new policy only taxis with a digital meter and GPS will be given permission and no advertisement will be permitted on other private vehicles.
As per the policy, 10 percent of the space of the vehicle shall be reserved for advertisement of government departments.
Transport officials along with traffic police will have the powers to take action if any policy violation takes place and the operators will be asked to remove the advertisements, the policy says.
Now, in addition to Kadamba buses which were enjoying priority to display ads till now, other public transport buses can also earn revenue through advertisement display after paying the transport department an annual fee of Rs 30,000.
Besides these vehicles, permission will also be granted to allow advertisement on all types of goods vehicles and contract carriage vehicles.
The transport vehicles have to obtain prior permission from the respective Road Transport Authority before displaying advertisements and the permission granted by the RTA shall be valid for five years.
As per the notification issued by the transport department, the vehicle owner shall be responsible for the content of any advertisement displayed on the automobile.
The advertisement will be allowed only on the rear side, right side and left side provided it does not pose any danger to the vehicle.
Advertisements also must comply with the code of advertising practice issued by the Advertising Standards Council of India.
Advertisements with vulgar display, cigarettes, alcohol, baby food, and those demeaning women and in bad taste will not be permitted.
No reflecting material will be allowed to be used which can cause disturbance to other drivers and motorists.
Distracting advertisements with the use of any psychedelic, laser or moving displays will also not be allowed.
School buses will also be allowed to advertise according to the notification.
Tobacco products, alcohol promotion and advertisements with political, ethnic, religious or sectarian text will not be allowed. Also sexual or controversial text, display of nude or semi-nude figures; or those that are likely to offend public, besides those that depict men, women or children as sexual objects will not be allowed.
Racist or sectarian group related advertisement, casinos, lottery tickets, sweepstakes entries and slot machines related advertisements also figure in the banned category of advertisements.
