Italy’s competition authority has fined e-scooter and e-bike operators Bird, Dott and Lime a total of almost €2.7 million ($3.1m) for unfair commercial practices, it said in a statement yesterday.
The regulator said the three companies had made it unduly difficult for holders of annual public transport passes in Rome to access free ride packages to which they were entitled.
Uber-backed Lime was fined €1.4m, Dott €525,000 and Bird €750,000.
“We will carefully review the reasoning underpinning this outcome and reserve all of our legal rights, including the right to appeal,” Lime said in a statement.
“Lime remains committed to working constructively with public authorities and transport partners to further strengthen the integration between shared mobility and public transit,” it added.
“Dott takes note of the authority’s decision but does not agree with its conclusions,” it said in a statement, adding Dott is committed to continuously improving its service.
Bird did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The three micromobility operators had inadequate systems to manage user requests, causing long delays in activating the passes and reducing the time available to use them, the regulator said.
It also sanctioned Bird for a separate alleged unfair practice of arbitrarily deactivating user accounts without prior warning.
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