Cofece fines Mexican Bus Companies for fixing prices

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Cofece fines 218 million pesos to ADO, Estrella Blanca, and 16 companies for manipulating prices

The Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece) decided to fine bus companies and individuals for “participating in various absolute monopolistic practices ” manipulating prices and segmenting routes in the passenger land transport service .

The plenary session of the antitrust body concluded that 18 companies and 31 individuals agreed to manipulate prices and distribute routes between the years 2000 and 2021; Grupo ADO, Estrella Blanca, Estrella Roja, IAMSA, Senda and Pullman, among those fined.

The Commission estimated that the damage to users due to the payment of surcharges was more than 3.3 billion pesos.

Through a statement , the Commission determined a fine of just over 200 million pesos for influencing various service routes in the Center, Center-South, South-Southeast regions of the country and the state of Tamaulipas.

According to Cofece, the estimated damage to users due to the payment of surcharges was more than 3.3 billion pesos.

“Derived from the information collected in the investigation, which is part of file IO-003-2017, the Plenary Session of the Commission confirmed that 18 transport companies, as well as 31 individuals who acted on their behalf, incurred in the absolute monopolistic practices foreseen in sections I and III of Article 9 of the previous Federal Law on Economic Competition and Article 53 of the current Federal Law on Economic Competition”, indicates the text.

Among those sanctioned, legal entities belonging to the most important groups in the country stand out: ADO, Estrella Blanca, Estrella Roja, IAMSA, Senda and Pullman, regarding multiple routes in the country, which covered the geographical areas of the Center, Center-South and South -Southeast, as well as the state of Tamaulipas.

According to the Commission’s investigation, the sanctioned behaviors “manipulated and set prices in the collection of the service; They also divided and distributed routes, either through arrangements between carriers to avoid competing with each other, or through the distribution of markets, in some cases even compensating income and expenses according to previously agreed percentages.

According to the then Ministry of Communications and Transportation, in 2019, three thousand 074 million 180 thousand people used passenger land transport, which represented 77.15 percent of users who traveled by land, so the surcharges caused approximate damage to consumers of more than three billion pesos.

“The seriousness of the infractions was high in view of the damage caused, the impact on users, as well as the deterioration of the conditions of supply of a service of public interest and of special relevance for the economy and society in general,” he explains. Bulletin.

The surcharges caused an approximate damage to consumers of more than three billion pesos. Photo: Special via Cofece

Due to the foregoing, Cofece decided to impose the maximum possible fines for each offender in accordance with the applicable Competition Law according to each conduct and considering their economic capacity.

According to the document, the 18 sanctioned legal entities are:

– Autobuses Alas de Oro, SA de CV
– Autobuses de la Piedad, SA de CV
– Autobuses de Oriente ADO, SA de CV
– Buses First Class Mexico Zacatepec, SA de CV
– Autobuses Estrella Blanca, SA de CV
– Buses Expreso Futura , SA de CV
– Autobuses México Puebla Estrella Roja, SA de CV
– Autos Pullman de Morelos, Luxury Service, SA de CV
– Autotransportes Estrella Roja del Sur, SA de CV
– Camionera del Golfo, SA de CV
– Estrella de Oro, SA de CV México-Acapulco-Zihuatanejo
– Grupo Senda Autotransporte, SA de CV
– Ómnibus Cristóbal Colón, SA de CV (with recurrence)
– Ómnibus de México, SA de CV
– Ómnibus de Oriente, SA de CV
– Servicios T de N, SA de CV
– Transportes Cuernavaca Cuautla Axochiapan Jojutla y Anexas, Estrella Roja, SA de CV
– Transportes Frontera, SA de CV

Next, these are the routes where these practices were carried out, including their intermediate points:

12 with origin and destination in Mexico City to and from Cuautla, Durango, Guadalajara, León, Puebla, Querétaro, Reynosa, San Luis Potosí, Tampico, Toluca, Torreón and Zihuatanejo.


– One with origin and destination at any point of the AICM and the state of Puebla, as well as its intermediate points, and vice versa.
– Eight with origin and destination in Laredo from and to Acámbaro, Guanajuato, Irapuato, León, Matamoros, Morelia, Toluca and Zamora.
– Five with origin and destination in Matamoros to and from Irapuato, León, Monterrey, Morelia and Toluca.
– Four with origin and destination in Tampico from and to Guadalajara, Irapuato, Morelia and Torreón.
– Three with origin and destination in Irapuato from and to Acuña, McAllen and Reynosa.
– Three with origin and destination in Monterrey to and from León, Reynosa/McAllen and Toluca.
– Two with origin and destination in León from and to Durango and Reynosa.
– One with origin and destination in Acuña from and to Toluca.
– One with origin and destination in Durango from and to Juárez.
– One with origin and destination in Morelia from and to Piedras Negras.
– One with origin and destination in Reynosa from and to Uruapan.
– One with origin and destination in San Luis Potosí from and to San Felipe.
– One with origin and destination in Uruapan from and to McAllen.

Mexico Daily Post