UPD. The Antimonopoly Committee found signs of monopoly in BlaBlaCar. What the regulator is not happy with
Why did the online platform come to the attention of the AMCU?
Why did the online platform come to the attention of the AMCU?
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has identified signs of monopoly in LLC "I-TRAVELS", which operates the online carpooling platform BlaBlaCar.
"Currently, the company has not provided a proper explanation of the pricing mechanism for the service fee," the AMCU noted.
The AMCU provided recommendations to the management company to stop actions that contain signs of violation of the legislation on the protection of economic competition.
The regulator also investigated the procedure for setting, paying, and refunding the service fee for using the services of this online platform. It was found that under the same conditions of cancellation of a trip reservation by a passenger (i.e., not due to the driver's fault), one passenger, at the company's sole discretion, was refunded the service fee, while the other was not.
At the same time, the company does not inform passengers at the time of receiving the service about all the conditions for refunding such a fee.
The committee has issued binding recommendations to BlaBlaCar to cease these actions within two months. Failure to comply will result in the regulator initiating proceedings for violation of competition law.
UPD. BlaBlaCar provided a comment on the AMCU recommendations.
"As of December 20, 2024, the recommendations were voiced during a meeting between representatives of the AMCU and BlaBlaCar. By the end of the year, we expect to receive the official text of the recommendations, after which we will be able to thoroughly analyze them and provide a detailed response," the company noted.
And also added:
“The announcement or implementation of the recommendations does not mean that BlaBlaCar is violating any competition law in Ukraine.
BlaBlaCar has been operating in the Ukrainian market since 2014, complying with all requirements of current legislation and implementing proven international practices. In 2022, the company introduced a service fee in Ukraine. It fully complies with the norms of Ukrainian legislation, and is also a common practice in other foreign markets.
"BlaBlaCar is a global company operating in 21 countries, adhering to high standards of quality and care for its users. BlaBlaCar is open to constructive dialogue and will work on recommendations once they are officially received."
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