Stansted Express adverts banned

An advertising watchdog has banned posters advertising the Stansted Express after deciding that they are misleading about the time it takes to reach the central London. The train, which ferries passengers from Stansted Airport to the centre of the city, was found to take 45 minutes, while the posters claim to do it in 35 minutes.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the advert was likely to mislead passengers as the actual journey takes a total of 45 minutes. Even though the train reaches Tottenham Hale in the said time, the ASA believed that images of central landmarks on the poster “strongly implied” that the train would reach the centre directly.

The ASA admitted that the use of well known landmarks in the poster was to help people who speak little English understand. However, they concluded that the simplicity of the message could cause confusion.

The ASA were brought in when a single person complained about the posters. National Express, which runs the service, defended the advert by saying 58 percent of passengers do not speak fluent English.

The company said it had used the simple language to communicate that an express service was available to London, adding that it used intentionally recognisable symbols to show this. The company also said that from Tottenham Hale, passengers could get into central London on the London Underground.