Food delivery drivers protest plans by Uber Eats to acquire rival app FoodPanda's Taiwan operations, saying it will form a nationwide monopoly.
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00:00The sound of around 200 scooter horns honking at once
00:06rends the air outside the Fair Trade Commission.
00:09Inside, behind closed doors, officials are meeting with business reps
00:13to discuss the takeover of food delivery app Food Pandas
00:17operations in Taiwan by rival Uber Eats.
00:21The takeover plan has been in place since May,
00:24but a decision on whether to let it go ahead is due by December 19th,
00:29and so delivery drivers, against the idea from the start,
00:33are here with their scooters to make a final pushback.
00:36They say even with the market split between them,
00:39the two apps have been able to maximize their profits
00:42at the expense of drivers, eateries and consumers.
00:46The platform can cut drivers' salaries,
00:50increase customer satisfaction,
00:54and even increase the cost of the app.
01:00And they say they worry a takeover would create a monopoly,
01:04under which drivers, eateries and customers would lose even more.
01:08They aren't alone in their concerns.
01:10The Labour Ministry has also told the Commission it opposes a takeover.
01:15On the business side, there are huge profits to be made.
01:18Over the decade the two apps have been in Taiwan,
01:21the size of the market has surged.
01:23There was an 18-fold spike in credit card spending on delivery
01:27during the COVID years.
01:29And while that boom is over, even as of last year,
01:32credit card spending on delivery was still up,
01:35nearing US$3 billion nationwide.
01:39As observers note, the industry is also not subject to any specific
01:43regulatory laws or jurisdiction from any government body.
01:47The delivery of motor vehicles is under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport.
01:50Why is the Ministry of Transport unable to do something about it?
01:53And protesters say, until these kinds of regulations are in place,
01:57the Fair Trade Commission should reject any takeover.
02:01Though they're annoyed they've been excluded from talks on the matter,
02:04they have a petition to deliver to the Commission,
02:06which is keeping its cards close to its chest,
02:09promising a fair review of the takeover proposal.
02:12The Fair Trade Commission will also seriously consider
02:19the impact of this takeover proposal on competition,
02:23and make a fair decision in accordance with the law.
02:28What it decides will be consequential in a country where food deliveries
02:32become a way of life, affecting millions of customers,
02:35hundreds of thousands of restaurants,
02:37and the 160,000 drivers nationwide who connect them.
02:42Ryan Wu and John Ventriest for Taiwan Plus.