London - A bus company has been forced to scrap a sexist advert featuring a half-naked woman with a sign that read: “Ride me all day for £3.”
New Adventure Travel used the “disgraceful” image on the back of buses to advertise its service in Cardiff.
Others in the fleet of ten vehicles showed a man with the same sign.
But the stunt backfired when members of the public said it was “appalling”, and “unacceptable” – with 45 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority.
Commuter Indianna Murphy said: “This advert is horrendous. Using a naked woman and sexual innuendo to promote a bus service is disgraceful and seriously misguided.”
Michelle Davis wrote on Twitter: “How am I supposed to explain this ad to my primary school kids?”
The company, which promised to remove the adverts within 24 hours, said the objective had been to make “catching the bus attractive to the younger generation”.
A spokesperson said: “The slogan of ‘ride me all day for £3’, while being a little tongue in cheek, was in no way intended to cause offence to either men or women.”
Daily Mail