Fort Smith Transit’s bus advertising is operated under non-public forum limitations. Only commercial advertising will be allowed on the interior and exterior of transit buses. Non-public forum will enable the Transit System to suppress disfavored speech.

To avoid potential controversy, ads will be screened by the Transit System to ensure compliance with the policy. Procedures are set forth by which advertisements may be reviewed for compliance to determine whether they fall within a prohibited category. Should the Transit System deem the context of a submitted advertisement as a violation of the standards, the Transit System is required to provide the advertiser with a copy of the standards and notify the advertiser that the advertisement has been determined to violate the standards, the reason for the determination, and the right to a prompt review.

Acceptance of advertisements listed in the exclusions below implies that a forum is actually public, which could expose the city to First Amendment rights scrutiny. The Transit System must maintain a system of control over the ads it accepts.

Exclusions

• Political or public issue advertising
• Viewpoint advertising
• Tobacco
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Sexually explicit or offensive materials
• Obscenities
• Gender demeaning materials
• Graphically violent or threatening materials
• Graphic representations pertaining to sexual conduct and nondiscriminatory materials
• Non-consented use of a person’s name for commercial purposes

For more information on pricing and availability, please contact:

Nancy Kain

Transit Program Specialist-Administration

Office: (479) 784-2316

nkain@fortsmithar.gov