It’s not 100% yet, but with hopes high that the ban on taxi-cab advertising will be lifted in Montreal next year, a new company is set to take advantage of the opportunity

Taxi Media Pub is a new partnership between the out-of-home advertising company Impact Media and SOS Taxi, a Quebec company that provides legal assistance to Quebec taxi drivers charged with traffic violations. The two companies have partnered to provide ad-covered rooftop domes to Montreal’s taxi drivers and companies in the event a bylaw restricting such advertising is lifted in 2010, a decision that Taxi Media Pub believes is highly likely.

Montreal is one of the few major North American markets not to allow ads on cab exteriors, but Taxi Media Pub representatives told MiC yesterday that city council appears poised to lift the ban by spring 2010, which would open up the city’s more than 4,000 taxis to advertising. A spokesperson for the City of Montreal confirmed today that discussions are in place between multiple parties to review the proposal, but that a date for a final decision on the matter has not yet been set.

Taxi Media Pub VP Alfredo Munoz said the company is confident the motion will be passed, and therefore has already approached taxi owners about allowing the company’s dome ads to be placed on the roofs of their cabs. More than 1,200 drivers have already agreed in principal to the opportunity, and Taxi Media Pub hopes to have 2,000 owners on board by next spring. The company is promising taxi drivers 30% of all advertising revenues, with a minimum of $100 per month per campaign.

Munoz predicts that the taxi advertising market in Montreal could be worth between $4 million and $6 million a year.

Alain Simard, VP marketing, eastern region, for Clear Channel Outdoor, said that taxi advertising provides marketers with 24/7 exposure in highly trafficked areas. Clear Channel Outdoor, which has taxi advertising programs in place in more than 30 US markets including New York, Las Vegas and Chicago, will provide sales representation and what one company representative called ‘much-needed taxi media expertise.’