TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Fair Trade Commission on Wednesday approved Uber’s plan to acquire Crown Taxi, saying that the merger would improve operational efficiency and that its economic benefits outweigh any potential harm to competition.
The commission said that, because Uber and Crown Taxi both provide taxi services, the acquisition constitutes a horizontal merger, per CNA. The transaction also includes a vertical component, since Uber provides the dispatch system used by Crown Taxi drivers.
The commission assessed that Crown Taxi was already a partner of Uber, and the combined market share of the two parties in the taxi market will not change significantly as a result of the merger. The commission also noted that the market already includes competitors such as Taiwan Taxi, Line Go, and Yoxi, and that in 2025, Estonian platform operator Bolt also entered the market.
There are more than 100 taxi dispatch service providers in Taiwan, which can either operate their own dispatch systems or collaborate with software or platform operators to provide services.
The commission concluded that Uber is unlikely to gain the ability to unilaterally raise fees, engage in joint pricing, or significantly affect market entry. It deemed the risk of abusing market power or causing market foreclosure to be low.
The merger is expected to reduce administrative layers and improve operational efficiency. The commission approved the deal under Article 13 of the Fair Trade Act, finding that its benefits outweigh any possible competition restraints.
