Grab-Uber deal: CCCS' findings blasted

THE Grab-Uber merger was declared an infringement of the competition act by Singapore's competition authority on Thursday. It was a verdict that did not come as a surprise - but the justification for it floored many, including of course, Grab.

Lee Der-Horng, director of the NUS-LTA Transport Research Centre, was among the more critical observers. He told The Business Times: "It really is an amusement to me. I could not help but laugh at the provisional findings by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS), which are mostly based on assumptions and speculation."

He cited CCCS' chief finding which stated "Uber would not have left the Singapore market in the near to medium term in the absence of the transaction" and that "Uber had entered into an agreement to collaborate with ComfortDelGro with the introduction of UberFlash to compete with Grab, and the collaboration was only withdrawn after the transaction".