The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) on Wednesday fined eight ferry operators NT$11 million (US$338,139) for colluding to raise ticket prices for travel to or from Siaoliouciou (小琉球).
The eight companies, which operate ferries between Pingtung County’s Donggang (東港) and Siaoliouciou, a popular tourist destination off the nation’s southwest coast, had engaged in “concerted actions” in contravention of laws regulating fair competition, the commission said.
Prior to the price increase, the companies in 2022 offered guests at Siaoliouciou guesthouses standard round-trip fares of less than NT$370 and discount tickets for children and seniors of less than NT$200, the commission said.
Photo: CNA
In November and December 2022, two of the companies — Leuco Sapphire Shipping and Tai-fu International Shipping Co —called a meeting with the six other operators, where they reached an agreement to raise ticket prices the following year.
Under the agreement, the companies first raised prices to NT$370 and NT$200 from Jan. 1, 2023.
On April 1, 2023, the companies raised their prices again to NT$450 and NT$225 respectively, while one-way tickets were set at NT$250 for adults and NT$125 for children and seniors, the commission said.
Following an investigation, the FTC fined Leuco Sapphire NT$4.3 million and Tai-fu International NT$2.5 million, while the other six companies were fined NT$700,000 each.
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