Résumé
This study estimates the price effects of horizontal mergers in the French long-distance bus industry. We examine two mergers that followed the 2015 deregulation Act of the Macron Law. Using a unique and exhaustive database, we identify price effects by comparing bus routes affected by mergers to unaffected routes using difference-in-difference estimations with propensity score matching. We find that the two mergers following industry deregulation seem to be associated with price increases and no efficiency gains.