Despite passionate complaints that the ads cause claustrophobia and motion sickness, create problems for people with disabilities and are just plain ugly, fully wrapped advertisements around Metro Transit buses will continue, the City Council decided in an 11-7 vote Tuesday.

Up to 20 of the city's buses can be wrapped with an ad, and an unlimited number of buses can sport partial wraps that leave some windows open.

The ads have been the center of a debate that pitted revenue against rider preferences, but supporters of the ads say they will help riders because the revenue will save routes from being cut and avoid increases in fare.

"I am not a big fan of the wraps," Ald. Brian Solomon, 10th District, said. "But I am even less of a fan of service cuts."

Ald. Jed Sanborn, 1st District, said that although much attention has been given to a Metro survey that found 60 percent of respondents viewed the wraps negatively, riders are more concerned about other problems on the buses.

"Complaints about the wraps were miniscule compared to other things like late buses, early buses, route structure, you name it," Sanborn said.

He said he has taken complaints about the wraps seriously and suggested people with visual impairments ask a driver for assistance in finding their stop.

Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway, 12th District, had proposed an alternate option to allow 40 buses to have different types of partially wrapped ads and an unlimited number of windowless ads, which several council members called a compromise that would have brought in revenue but still put a priority on ridership experience.

But Sanborn said full wraps on only 20 buses out of approximately 200 was already a compromise.

"I'd be open to selling as many of these as we could, as they do in many places in America and Europe," he said. "This is a compromise that still makes a lot of revenue."

The ads, which had been a part of a pilot program since 2007 through a contract with Adams Outdoor Advertising, could provide more than $300,000 next year, $400,000 in 2010 and $450,000 by 2012 - if all the buses approved for wraps actually get ads placed on them.

Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, said the amount of revenue from the wraps doesn't add up when compared to all the complaints, including safety concerns.

"If we need the cameras (on the buses) because of these safety concerns ... why are we blocking out the windows of buses?" Verveer said.
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