Police discovered faults with eight taxis after launching an operation to crack down on operators in Exeter who are flouting the law.
Operation Lookout was carried out at Exeter St David's train station to check on the Hackney Carriages waiting outside. It involved police officers along with officers from the British Transport Police and the UK Borders Agency.
It was timed to run in conjunction with trains arriving from London Paddington and Edinburgh in order to maximise the number of Hackneys at the location.
The operation was suspended and officers all left the location to give the impression that they had completed the checks but returned a couple of hours later to cover the arrival of another London Paddington train.
During the operation officers checked a total of 36 Hackney Carriages.
A total of 28 were found to be in order, but eight were found to be committing offences.
Two had light defects, four had no fire extinguisher, one had no first aid kit and one had no licensing identity badge.
But officers say that intelligence was received that a number of Hackney Carriages which would normally be expected to be at the location were not and other intelligence was gained which will be actioned by the UK Border Agency.
Inspector Andrew Webber, who is charge of neighbourhood policing in Exeter, said: "There has been information that some Hackney taxi's were being operated in a way that contravened their licence conditions.
"These sorts of operations fully support the majority of hackney taxis that operate in a professional manner and identifies those that need to be brought up to standard.
"Now is the time to start a public debate as to how the community want their taxi service to work. There has been comment that hackney taxi's should all be the same colour, as other major cities do, so it is easier for the public to identify them. A standardised colour scheme could be brought in over a period of time to make them more identifiable."
Operation Lookout was carried out at Exeter St David's train station to check on the Hackney Carriages waiting outside. It involved police officers along with officers from the British Transport Police and the UK Borders Agency.
It was timed to run in conjunction with trains arriving from London Paddington and Edinburgh in order to maximise the number of Hackneys at the location.
The operation was suspended and officers all left the location to give the impression that they had completed the checks but returned a couple of hours later to cover the arrival of another London Paddington train.
During the operation officers checked a total of 36 Hackney Carriages.
A total of 28 were found to be in order, but eight were found to be committing offences.
Two had light defects, four had no fire extinguisher, one had no first aid kit and one had no licensing identity badge.
But officers say that intelligence was received that a number of Hackney Carriages which would normally be expected to be at the location were not and other intelligence was gained which will be actioned by the UK Border Agency.
Inspector Andrew Webber, who is charge of neighbourhood policing in Exeter, said: "There has been information that some Hackney taxi's were being operated in a way that contravened their licence conditions.
"These sorts of operations fully support the majority of hackney taxis that operate in a professional manner and identifies those that need to be brought up to standard.
"Now is the time to start a public debate as to how the community want their taxi service to work. There has been comment that hackney taxi's should all be the same colour, as other major cities do, so it is easier for the public to identify them. A standardised colour scheme could be brought in over a period of time to make them more identifiable."
