Renfe’s commercial practices in relation to external ticket sales platforms may violate European rules on free competition. This is what the European Commission suspects, which today opened a formal investigation to assess whether the historical Spanish rail operator could have abused its dominant position in the Spanish rail passenger transport market “by refusing to provide all its content and data on real time to competing ticket sales platforms”.
Renfe, explains the institution in a statement, sells its tickets directly through its own websites and applications and its platform and mobility, as well as indirectly, through third-party ticket sales platforms through apps or online portals . Following the complaints received, Brussels began to investigate its business practices and the conclusion is that the company “may have restricted competition in the Spanish market for online rail ticket sales services” by refusing to provide certain data to the platforms third-party ticketing agencies.
Firstly, Renfe would not provide these platforms with “the full content of its range of tickets, discounts and options. And, secondly, the “real-time data” (that is, information before, during and after the trip) , leaving these companies in a position of inferiority with respect to the incumbent operator.”The Commission is concerned that Renfe’s alleged refusal to provide this content and data in real time could prevent the platforms from competing with Renfe’s own direct digital channels to the detriment of consumers”, explains the community executive.
“Competition in the online rail ticketing market is crucial to ensure customer access to affordable rail services and to promote environmentally friendly modes of transport. This is why we have been investigating whether Renfe’s alleged refusal to provide competing ticket sales platforms with all the information necessary to adjust their offers to customers would restrict and distort competition, to the detriment of consumers,” says the vice president of the European Commission and holder of the Competition portfolio, Margrethe Vestager, in a statement.
If the investigation, for which there are no deadlines, shows that these practices are taking place, Renfe would be infringing EU competition rules, which prohibit the abuse of a dominant position. The Spanish competition authorities, as well as Renfe itself, have been informed of the opening of proceedings in this case. The company now has the opportunity to present its allegations as well as respond to the Commission’s concerns by presenting commitments to correct the situation.
