Food Delivery Drivers Protest Planned Uber Eats, FoodPan

TaiwanPlus News

Food delivery drivers protest plans by Uber Eats to acquire rival app FoodPanda's Taiwan operations, saying it will form a nationwide monopoly.

Transcript

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.

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