ANGRY taxi plate owners have threatened to “disrupt Perth” in a major escalation of the battle over the McGowan Government’s cabbie compensation plan.

Peter Rosengrave, representing a group of plate owners fighting the buyback scheme, warned the industry was now considering industrial action — with a go-slow strategy for Perth arterial roads on the cards.

The move comes in the wake of an unsuccessful attempt by taxi owners to get $290,000 for their plates as part of the compensation scheme announced in November.

The threat comes as plate owners put to the Government a new proposal to help fund a multi-million compensation payout to about 1000 operators.

And in a move to combat the Uber phenomenon, taxi plate owner John Golawski is launching a new smartphone app — www.flagit.net.au — to help traditional taxi operators compete.

“They (the Government) have totally decimated the industry. We are at breaking point,” Mr Rosengrave said.

Camera Icon The WA taxi industry has launched the ‘flag it’ app in a bid to compete with Uber. Credit: Richard Hatherly

“With their proposal (for compensation), a lot of people will go bankrupt — none of us are earning the minimum wage.

“They (taxi operators) will disrupt Perth by slowing up the traffic and disrupting the traffic flow.

“This is not a hollow threat, we have no option. We were promised fair compensation, and we haven’t got it.

“We are getting stonewalled.”

The McGowan Government’s plan has been dubbed the Uber Tax — an industry-funded voluntary taxi plate buyback scheme that would involve a 10 per cent levy on operators’ total fare revenue.

The scheme, which has yet to be legislated for, was in response to the arrival of Uber in WA, which has affected the incomes of cabbies and plate owners.

Under the proposal, taxi operators would be offered a minimum $100,000 a plate.

However, Mr Rosengrave, along with fellow industry representatives Athan Tsirigotis and Mr Golawski, said that figure should be almost tripled to $290,000 a plate.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said her buyback scheme was “the most generous scheme of its kind in this country”.

“Under the proposed legislation, taxi plates will be bought back at a minimum cost of $100,000 and a maximum of $290,000, depending on when the plate was purchased by the owner,” she said.

“The proposed levy period will end once the $120 million for the buyback is raised and does not increase State debt.”

But Mr Tsirigotis estimated that of the 1000 taxi plate owners eligible for compensation, about 600 would receive the minimum $100,000 payment.

He also argued that instead of a 10 per cent levy, which he said would be an administrative nightmare, the Government should charge all on-demand operators a weekly fee of $75, which would raise $65.5 million a year to fund compensation.

“The 10 per cent levy is a tax,” Mr Tsirigotis said.

Mr Golawski said Flagit had been developed in WA and several taxi operators were already using the app.

He said passengers using it would be charged a minimum fare of $10, but the meter would only kick in after the first four minutes or 3km.

There would also be no price surges, owners and operators would be “properly licensed and registered” and cars would carry security cameras.

Cabs using the app will have stickers to alert passengers.