The Guangzhou Communications Committee said Friday that advertisements would be banned on all new LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) buses, the Southern Metropolitan News reported.

It is the second ban to apply to bus advertisements in four months.

The committee said the ban would not apply to LPG buses that had been in service for more than two years.

A spokesman for the committee said most buses in Guangzhou carried advertisements, which looked disorderly.

He said the advertisements could distract drivers and make it difficult for passengers to find buses they wanted.

However, some experts said banning advertising would affect bus company profits and eventually reduce the standard of service.

They said the government should compromise.

There are a total of 1,406 LPG buses in Guangzhou, accounting for 18 percent of the city’s 7,890 buses. Older buses have carried advertisements for more than 20 years.

In early December, the communications committee banned all advertising on buses with stops on main roads, including Dongfeng, Panfu and Zhongshan roads.

The ban affected at least 62 bus lines, officials said.

(Shenzhen Daily March 21, 2005)