Singapore regulator threatens to 'unwind' Grab-Uber merger - TravelMole


Singapore regulator threatens to ‘unwind’ Grab-Uber merger

Monday, 08 Jul, 2018 0

The Grab-Uber Southeast Asia merger has hit a road block with Singapore’s competition commission demanding changes to ensure the market remains competitive.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) says it has created a virtual monopoly in the ride-hailing market with price rises almost as soon as the merger was completed.

The business was criticised for completing the merger while a CCCS investigation was being conducted.

The CCCS called for Grab to reverse the price rises and end its exclusivity contracts with drivers to allow other competitors to enter the market.

"CCCS proposes to impose financial penalties upon Grab and Uber respectively, as CCCS has found that they have carried the transaction into effect despite having anticipated potential competition concerns, and caused substantial lessening of competition in the ride-hailing platform services market in Singapore," it said.

The regulator warned it may ‘unwind’ the merger unless measures are taken.

The CCCS wants Uber’s car rental business Lion City Rental to be sold off to a Grab competitor to ensure there is market competition and not allow Grab to have a monopoly on vehicle rental fleets.

Grab said the commission is taking a ‘very narrow approach in defining competition.’

Competition regulators in Malaysia and the Philippines are also looking at post-merger competition in their markets.

 



 

profileimage

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.



Most Read

Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026

Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange

North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism

Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns

James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel

Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination

Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics

Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy

Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene

Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee

Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail

Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
TRAINING & COMPETITION

Our emails to you has bounced travelmole.com Or You can change your email from your profile Setting Section

Your region selection will be saved in your cookie for future visits. Please enable your cookie for TravelMole.com so this dialog box will not come up again.

Price Based Country test mode enabled for testing United States (US). You should do tests on private browsing mode. Browse in private with Firefox, Chrome and Safari