Uber to appeal Singapore regulator's decision on Grab deal

Uber Technologies has decided to appeal a decision by the Singapore competition regulator that its merger with regional rival Grab violated the city-state’s competition laws, the firm said on Monday.

“Our objective is not to challenge the remedies of the decision, which are in fact almost identical to the commitments that Uber and Grab voluntarily offered to the CCCS (Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore),” Uber said in a statement.

“Rather, we aim to clarify that the conclusion that our transaction with Grab led to a substantial lessening of competition, and that Uber intentionally breached the law, is unsupported and incorrect,” it added.

Last month, Singapore slapped ride-hailing firms Grab and Uber with fines and finalised restrictions to open up the market to competitors after concluding that their merger had driven up prices.

Uber sold its Southeast Asian business to bigger regional rival Grab in March in exchange for a 27.5 per cent stake in the Singapore-based firm.