The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore says the merger has led to Grab increasing prices for riders

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has released a statement today saying that the Grab and Uber merger in March this year has led to a “substantial lessening of competition” in the online ride-hailing industry.

Its investigations, which started in April, found that the merger has allowed Grab to increase prices of its ride-hailing and services and there was evidence to suggest it had done so since the completion of the merger. These include a reduction of the frequency and value of rider promotions and driver incentives, as well as an increase in driver commision rate.

The watchdog also found evidence that Uber would not have left the Singapore market, at least in the near to medium term, if the merger had not taken place. Uber had previously inked partnerships with external parties in order to level the playing field with Grab. These included a tie-up with local taxi company ComfortDelGro to for its UberFlash service, which is now void after the merger.

Local taxi companies only hold 15 per cent of the online ride-hailing market, said CCCS, and other competitors — particularly new potential entrants — face hurdles accessing a substantial pool of drivers and vehicles because Grab has “imposed exclusivity obligations on taxi companies, car rental partners, and some of its drivers”.

Also Read: Grab launches Grab Ventures to accelerate and invest in startups across Southeast Asia

To woo them away from Grab would require these new players to put up significant capital, which includes driver incentives and ride promotions. (something only established ride-hailing companies can afford to do so now).

Because of these negative effects, CCCS warn that it could “unwind” the Grab-Uber deal unless sufficient measures are put in place to address these issues. Some of its proposed remedies include removing exclusivity obligations, lock-in periods and termination fees for all Grab drivers or those who rent from Grab’s fleet or partners.

The watchdog is also asking Grab to revert to its pre-merger pricing algorithm and driver commission rates until there is sufficient competition in the market.

Regarding Lion City Rental, Uber’s car rental business, CCCS wants the company to sell it to a Grab competitor. This move will help facilitate stronger competition in the market and decreases Grab’s chance of monopolising vehicle rental fleets.

e27 has reached out to Grab for a statement.

The post Singapore watchdog says Grab-Uber merger is anti-competitive and may unwind it appeared first on e27.

Source: e27