MTA drops Goergi vodka bikini ads from buses

ADVERTISEMENT

Martin Silver, president of Syosset-based Star Distributors, which dispenses Georgi vodka, is in trouble with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority - again, and for the same reason.

The MTA recently removed pictures of bikini-clad young women from about 60 buses in Brooklyn. The pictures were to advertise Georgi vodka.

"They did it again," Silver said.

The last time Silver was in trouble with the MTA was in 2006, when his company's ads were taken off the rear of buses because they were too risqué.

This time, an MTA spokesman said, the agency had received complaints from members of the Hasidic community in Brooklyn who considered them offensive. The ads were removed only from the Brooklyn buses.

"We're sensitive to neighborhood concerns," said the spokesman. "That's been a long-standing tradition."

Silver said he is having his lawyer look into the matter. "He's looking at First Amendment rights," Silver said. Additionally, Silver said, "This [advertisements] brings revenue into the MTA. They're hurting the straphangers."