In our May Newsletter we outlined our 10-point Action Plan. We are still waiting to see if our “soft” approach results in a change-of-heart by a Minister who promised much when she was in Opposition but is delivering precious little now that she represents the Government.
Our progress so far:
1. Athan Tsirigotis has been appointed TOLD spokesperson. We all should value his commitment to our cause and greatly appreciate his voluntary support.
2. The review of the WA Govt’s Buyback Proposal by accounting firm “Ernst & Young”, commissioned by us, has now been distributed to all political parties and the media.
4. Our petition opposing the total deregulation of the taxi industry, signed by hundreds of taxi drivers, has been presented to the Upper House.
5. We have given notice to the WA Government via Channel 9, the Sunday Times, ABC radio, and 6PR, that our patience has run out and we are now preparing to toughen our stance in pursuing a “fair go” for taxi industry.
If the WA Government continues to ignore our demands for reasonable compensation, we will activate the next part of our Action Plan. We will show them that we are united in our resolve and we will take whatever steps we deem necessary to achieve a fair and equitable outcome. The more we are pushed, the more we will push back!
We have already threatened a “go slow” campaign to disrupt Perth traffic and we can consider emulating Italian and Greek taxi drivers who successfully pressured their governments into banning ride-sharing services like Uber, by parking their taxis in the Central Business Districts and bringing traffic to a complete standstill.
Note that we levied $200 per taxi plate to pay for the Ernst & Young report and we thank everyone who has already made a contribution. To those who have not yet paid, we request that you do so now need additional funds for advertising and promotional materials (pamphlets, stickers etc.)
Acc. name; Taxi Operators Legal Defence
BSB; 036 – 041
Acc. No; 311416
TOLD directors
Perth taxi drivers to go slow on main roads.
Sunday Times August 5, 2018
https://www.perthnow.com.au/technology/uber/perth-taxi-drivers-to-go-slow-on-main-roads-in-buyback-protest-ng-b88917680z
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. “They (the Government) have totally decimated the industry. We are at breaking point,” Mr Rosengrave said.
“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.
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. The WA taxi industry has launched the ‘Flagit’ app in a bid to compete with Uber.
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 eventually have stickers to alert passengers.
CALLING ALL TAXI OWNERS AND DRIVERS by John Golawski
1. Over the past 3 years there has been a great deal of TALK but very little ACTION directed towards improving taxi drivers’ incomes. Up until now, no-one has come up with a credible and actionable plan to bring back taxi customers previously lost to ride-sharing services.
2. The FLAGIT™ app offers taxi drivers the opportunity to reverse this trend and start regaining lost ground. It specifically targets the tech-savvy Millennials (younger, more price-sensitive customers) whose world revolves around using smartphone apps.
3. FLAGIT™ provides a level of service unmatched by the ride-sharing industry: a fully insured and licenced taxi, driven by a trained professional taxi driver, with full camera security for driver and passengers, at a comparable price to ride-sharing services.
4. The key benefit to taxi drivers is that FLAGIT™ jobs will supplement, NOT REPLACE, their regular taxi work. Why sit around for an hour waiting your turn for the next TDS dispatched job when you can use this down time to perform some extra work? Using the FLAGIT™ app will NOT affect your position in the queue.
5. Furthermore, there are NO joining fees. Unlike other companies which shamefully exploit drivers by charging exorbitant service fees, FLAGIT™ charges taxi drivers a flat $1.65 fee (GST included) for every FLAGIT™ job performed. NO JOBS = NO FEES.
6. FLAGIT™ is an Australian technology company, NOT a Taxi Dispatch Service. We simply provide a platform connecting customers with professional taxi drivers. If the regulators wish to argue otherwise then they are saying that companies like Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are also operating Taxi Dispatch Services.
7. For further information, visit our website flagit.net.au and download the FLAGIT™ app for free, alternatively contact us for personal assistance on 0449 611 704 or to arrange ‘how to use’ demonstration in our office at 135 Great Eastern Highway, Rivervale (unit at the back). We will be open this Saturday and Sunday 3pm – 7pm.
8. FLAGIT™ was specifically designed to help taxi drivers “fight back” and regain market share and lost income. We plan to commence an extensive public awareness campaign in October, so:
DON’T DELAY, SIGN UP TODAY!
I call on all taxi plate owners to persuade their drivers to download the FLAGIT™ app. More income for taxi drivers translates to a happier and more stable workforce. The Taxi Industry benefits as a whole when taxi drivers are helped to earn a decent living.
John Golawski, MD Flagit
