An official with Shanghai consumers' rights watchdog said "disturbing ads" in taxis should be banned because many passengers have complained that they were forced to watch or listen to the ads when taking cabs, Labor Daily reported on Thursday.

"These ads disturb passengers and violate their interests and rights," said Tang Jiansheng, deputy director of the law department under the Shanghai Commission of Consumers' Rights and Interests Protection.

Tang said passengers pay fares for riding taxis rather than watching ads, and taxi companies earn money from these ads while passengers' fares are not reduced.

Many taxi operators in the city have equipped small TV screens in their taxis to show commercials, which can't be turned off by the drivers or passengers. Some also broadcast audio ads after the taxi meters are activated at the beginning of a trip.

An official of Dazhong Taxi Co said yesterday that the company will carry out five measures to adjust audio ads from next Monday because many passengers said the sound is too harsh, but the official didn't reveal the exact details, the report said.

A Jinjiang Taxi Co cabbie, surnamed Zhao, told the newspaper that the company gave each driver 10 yuan (US$1.29) as a bonus for using the ads in their taxi, but it never handles the disputes between drivers and passengers that are caused by the ads.

(Shanghai Daily March 1, 2007)