Chile: Tour bus operators face steep settlement in market-fixing aftermath

A million-dollar lawsuit looms over tour-bus operators Tur Bus and Pullman Bus, after the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office (FNE) ratified their findings of collusion to prevent the arrival of rival operator Linea Azul buses to Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and other cities in the north of the country.

The FNE’s investigation was able to establish that the companies agreed to lease all the terminal’s offices, among other illicit conducts, preventing the arrival of rival services to cities between Valparaíso and Antofagasta.

FNE lawyers explained that the impact of the collusion resulted in losses of $23 billion pesos (US$38 million). This is precisely the amount that is requested in the legal action presented by Línea Azul before the Tribunal for the Defense of Free Competition (TDLC). Any compensation would be parallel and additional to the fines imposed on the companies five years ago, for a total of US$48 million.

Full Content: América Economía

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