POLICE officers stopped and questioned 70 taxi drivers during a clampdown on bogus cabs in the city.
The five-hour initiative was organised after a 24-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the back of a cab in Hull.
There were seven officers out on patrol covering two locations in the city after the attack in King George Dock.
As well as checking for correct plates and badges, police made sure vehicles were roadworthy, looking at tyre conditions and safety equipment.
PC David Stevenson, who organised the clampdown, said he was "surprised" by the number of defects on vehicles, with only 28 found to have problems.
He said: "Normally, about 70 per cent of taxis have defects, so we were quite shocked by the drop.
"The news had got out there and we'd never seen so many new tyres during a session.
"We didn't find any bogus cabs but it's always hit and miss and we need people to report them to us.
"The result is good for passengers because the vehicles are safer and we had a positive response from drivers who understood why we were doing the checks.
"When we first started, they weren't very happy but we've now got a good rapport with them.
"The checks only take two minutes and they know if we get rid of the bad cabs, it's better for everyone."
PC Stevenson said the officers stopped taxis near Monument Bridge in the city centre and Beverley Road outside The Mail's offices from 6.30pm.
He said: "It has been a real success and shows the public we are taking the assault seriously.
"Will we ever stop the problem? Probably not, but we will work hard and do our best."
Casualty reduction officer PC Keith Ward said the initiative was also a chance for police to talk to taxi drivers about bogus cabs.
He said: "They know when they are about because they are touting for businesses and we want them to know how important it is to tell us so we can catch them.
"If letting people know we are going to do these checks makes taxi drivers sort out problems with their vehicles without us telling them, it can only be a good thing.
"We stopped a good number of cars and will continue to keep bogus taxis off the road and make sure vehicles are safe for passengers."
To report bogus taxi drivers, call Humberside Police on 101 or CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
