Washington, US
Taxi & rideshare advertising in Seattle
A dense, affluent, tech-driven core where cabs and rideshare cluster downtown, in South Lake Union and at the airport. Below: what it costs here, which companies actually operate in Seattle, the local rules, and how to buy — independent and unpaid, no lead form.
Seattle at a glance
| Cost / CPM | Seattle DOOH inventory clears roughly $5 CPM programmatic up to $30+ on premium Downtown and South Lake Union LED screens, with programmatic typically $6-$15 CPM (AdQuick, 2026). For vehicle/taxi media specifically, taxi-top ad campaigns in Seattle are quoted at roughly $5,727 for a one-month flight (BillboardsIn Seattle taxi market page). National taxi-topper benchmarks that vendors apply to the Seattle market run about $500-$1,000 per cab per 4-week period for static tops and $300-$800 for digital tops, with full wraps $500-$2,000 per vehicle (AdQuick/DASH TWO taxi guides). Event windows (Seahawks/Mariners/Kraken/Sounders playoffs, Capitol Hill Block Party) push CPMs up a 20-35% premium. |
|---|---|
| Rules | For-hire vehicles in Seattle are regulated under a joint City-County system created by a 1995 interlocal agreement: King County (Records and Licensing Services / RALS) licenses and permits all for-hire DRIVERS for both jurisdictions, while the City of Seattle (Consumer Protection Division, Dept. of Finance and Administrative Services) licenses all for-hire VEHICLES/medallions for both. Taxicabs and for-hire vehicles are governed by Seattle Municipal Code chapter 6.311 and King County Code chapter 6.65 (TNCs like Uber/Lyft are in separate chapters after Dec. 2023 ordinances 19700/126977). SMC 6.311.200 and KCC 6.65.200 cap taxicab medallions at 1,300 (the 50 wheelchair-accessible taxi medallions are excluded from the cap). Code sections specifically govern 'Exterior and Interior Markings for Vehicles,' and all taxicabs must run smart taximeters; medallions now carry a redesigned decal bearing both County and Seattle logos. |
| Digital cartop networks here | None named locally — wrap networks cover this market; digital DOOH available programmatically. |
Why advertisers target Seattle
Seattle is the 14th-largest US DMA and the dominant DOOH/OOH market in the Pacific Northwest, uniquely high-value for B2B tech, cloud and biotech advertisers. Vehicle and screen inventory concentrates along I-5 and in South Lake Union (Amazon's backyard), Downtown, and Capitol Hill, where the audience skews high-income, tech-savvy professionals. Rideshare and taxi toppers are pitched heavily against Downtown and Capitol Hill nightlife. Seasonality is event-driven: Seahawks, Mariners and Kraken playoff runs, Sounders playoffs, Bumbershoot, Capitol Hill Block Party, the Seattle International Film Festival, and major tech conferences all create 20-35% CPM premium windows, and Amazon-HQ-adjacent takeovers command six-figure buys.
Seattle: the local facts (sourced)
- In 2025, 828 taxicab and flat-rate for-hire vehicle medallions were licensed to operate across Seattle and King County. ↗
- Seattle/King County cap the number of taxicab medallions at 1,300 under SMC 6.311.200 and KCC 6.65.200; the 50 wheelchair-accessible taxi (WAT) medallions are excluded from that cap. ↗
- In 2025 the region issued 1,105 regional for-hire driver's licenses (of 1,137 applications) and received 27,437 unique applications for TNC for-hire driver permits and vehicle endorsements, showing rideshare vastly outnumbers cabs. ↗
- Under a 1995 interlocal agreement, King County licenses all for-hire DRIVERS and the City of Seattle licenses all for-hire VEHICLES for both jurisdictions; taxis are governed by SMC ch. 6.311 and KCC ch. 6.65, with dedicated code on exterior/interior vehicle markings. ↗
- Seattle DOOH inventory clears roughly $5 CPM programmatic up to $30+ on premium Downtown/South Lake Union LEDs (programmatic typically $6-$15 CPM); Seattle is the 14th-largest US DMA and the dominant OOH market in the Pacific Northwest. ↗
- Taxi-top advertising in Seattle is quoted at about $5,727 for a one-month campaign, with local inventory across operators including Seattle Yellow Cab, Farwest Taxi, and STITA Taxi. ↗
Companies that advertise on taxis & cars in Seattle
Wrap networks (nationwide — they cover Seattle)
- Carvertise — America’s largest car-wrap network — full vinyl wraps on everyday & rideshare drivers, paid by miles driven.
- Wrapify — Performance-driven wrap network with patented impression tracking and digital retargeting — the measurement leader among wrap vendors.
- Nickelytics — Wrap & digital-sticker network across 21 metros with GPS + geolocation attribution and retargeting; also robot/DOOH formats.
- Good Traffic (formerly mobilads) — Premium vehicle-wrap network for retail brand activation — citywide rideshare wraps and concentrated “BLITZ” event swarms, with 400+ campaigns for Fortune 1000 brands.
Want to compare prices across vendors without calling each one? AdQuick aggregates most of them. See the full directory of taxi advertising companies.
How to buy taxi advertising in Seattle
- Pick your goal and format. Awareness on a budget → wrap. Targeted, dynamic, premium → digital cartop. Captive → Taxi TV.
- Check who’s live in Seattle — confirm how many active vehicles run in your target neighbourhoods, not just citywide totals.
- Confirm the local rules above before you commit creative.
- Compare CPMs across two or three companies (or via AdQuick) and buy on cost-per-memory, not sticker price.
- Demand measurement — impressions plus recall/attribution (GPS, mobile-location, retargeting).
Seattle taxi advertising: FAQ
How much does taxi advertising cost in Seattle?
Seattle DOOH inventory clears roughly $5 CPM programmatic up to $30+ on premium Downtown and South Lake Union LED screens, with programmatic typically $6-$15 CPM (AdQuick, 2026). For vehicle/taxi media specifically, taxi-top ad campaigns in Seattle are quoted at roughly $5,727 for a one-month flight (BillboardsIn Seattle taxi market page). National taxi-topper benchmarks that vendors apply to the Seattle market run about $500-$1,000 per cab per 4-week period for static tops and $300-$800 for digital tops, with full wraps $500-$2,000 per vehicle (AdQuick/DASH TWO taxi guides). Event windows (Seahawks/Mariners/Kraken/Sounders playoffs, Capitol Hill Block Party) push CPMs up a 20-35% premium.
Which companies do taxi advertising in Seattle?
Nationwide wrap networks — Carvertise, Wrapify, Nickelytics, Good Traffic (formerly mobilads) — cover Seattle for vinyl wraps, and you can compare and buy across vendors on AdQuick. See the full company directory.
Are there special rules for taxi ads in Seattle?
For-hire vehicles in Seattle are regulated under a joint City-County system created by a 1995 interlocal agreement: King County (Records and Licensing Services / RALS) licenses and permits all for-hire DRIVERS for both jurisdictions, while the City of Seattle (Consumer Protection Division, Dept. of Finance and Administrative Services) licenses all for-hire VEHICLES/medallions for both. Taxicabs and for-hire vehicles are governed by Seattle Municipal Code chapter 6.311 and King County Code chapter 6.65 (TNCs like Uber/Lyft are in separate chapters after Dec. 2023 ordinances 19700/126977). SMC 6.311.200 and KCC 6.65.200 cap taxicab medallions at 1,300 (the 50 wheelchair-accessible taxi medallions are excluded from the cap). Code sections specifically govern 'Exterior and Interior Markings for Vehicles,' and all taxicabs must run smart taximeters; medallions now carry a redesigned decal bearing both County and Seattle logos.
What's the best format for Seattle?
Broad, always-on awareness on a budget → a wrap. Dynamic, geo-targeted, dayparted messaging in the dense core → a digital cartop. One captive audience → Taxi TV. Compare in our formats guide.
More: full cost guide · all cities · all companies · does it work?
Independent, unpaid guide — no company paid to appear and we take no referral fees. Local rules, coverage and pricing change; verify with the city and each company before buying. Updated 2026-08-07.