‘Ride me’ bus advert sparks Twitter backlash

New Adventure Travel (NAT), based in Cardiff, hoped the ads would be a talking point among city centre commuters.

But instead the ads have led to dozens of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), whilst others – including singer Charlotte Church – have tweeted their disdain.

Hey @NAT_Group THIS IS ABHORRENT! You should remove these hugely offensive ads ASAP pic.twitter.com/EphM8N8xyI�
Please complain and retweet.

— Charlotte Church (@charlottechurch) May 11, 2015

A spokesperson for the group 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 and if the advert has done so, then we apologise unreservedly.

“There has certainly been no intention to objectify either men or women. Given the volume of negativity received, we have decided to remove the pictures from the back of the buses within the next 24 hours.”

The ASA said it had received 45 complaints about the advert: “We understand the company is taking the advert down so at this stage we are monitoring the situation in case further action is needed.”

@NAT_Group bus in Cardiff is vile. Women face enough harassment on busses without use of sexually explicit language. pic.twitter.com/hxsM8AihIm

— Xavier B (@Jxlb1) May 11, 2015

Don’t worry men, your bodies aren’t immune from the sexualisation of @NAT_group either! Terrible marketing. pic.twitter.com/24KHF6LcIz

— Vicky Chandler (@VickyChandler) May 11, 2015

Which is the PR company that put a naked girl on the back of a @NAT_Group Cardiff bus with the sign “Ride me all day for £3”? Own up.

— I Loves The ‘Diff (@ILovesTheDiff) May 11, 2015

this is a legit bus advert in Cardiff. You have GOT to be kidding me @NAT_Group http://t.co/ShAjiphu7s

— Elena Cresci (@elenacresci) May 11, 2015

The advert however prompted mixed reactions among commuters on Westgate Street in Cardiff.

Mother-of-two Joanne Bell, 34, said she was disgusted by the images.

She said: “I don’t want my kids seeing that kind of slogan. It’s sexist and demeaning.”

Pensioner Margaret Jones, 66, was also not impressed. She said: “It’s too crude. It’s not like it’s on the telly, where you can change the channel. It’s being driven all around the city centre.”

University student Huw Daniels, 21, said: “It’s like something you’d seen from the 1970s or a Carry On film.”

Shop worker Adam Greaves, 42, however, said: “I thought it was well funny. It’s not as bad as people are making out. Anyway, the ad has done its job. People are speaking about it.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Whilst we are not responsible for the awarding of contracts for local bus services, we welcome the decision of NAT to withdraw these adverts.”