Sunday, March 21, 2010

Billboards in motion, ads on school buses to raise revenue

Billboards in motion, ads on school buses to raise revenue


Billboards in motion, ads on school buses to raise revenue






As school districts across the nation cut costs, selling advertisements on buses is being considered by more districts as a way to generate revenue. Opponents argue that little revenue is raised and keeping unwanted ads off buses may not be easy.
ABC News reports that dozens of states, including Minnesota, Arizona, and Texas, already permit school bus advertising. According to the article, “The idea can be traced back about 15 years, but budget woes have led to a recent resurgence.”
Lawmakers in states like Washington, Utah, New Jersey and Ohio are now considering placing advertisements on buses.
John Green, supervisor for school transportation at the California Department of Education, notes, however, that there are arguments against this fundraising method. Green was quoted as saying:
Bus ads are rarely as lucrative as the school district expects, they may distract drivers and lead to accidents, and keeping unwanted ads off buses may not be as easy as people think.
The highway authority in Southern California, for example, must now allow a Minuteman militia group to adopt a highway and put a sign on the freeway after a “judge decided the case on first Amendment issues.”