Italy fines Rome e-scooter firms Bird, Dott and Lime €2.7 million

ROME, Aug. 6 (Reuters) - Italy's competition authority has fined e-scooter and e-bike operators Bird, Dott and Lime LIME.O a total of almost €2.7 million ($3.12 million) for unfair commercial practices, it said in a statement on Thursday.

• 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 UBER.N Lime was fined €1.4 million, Dott €525,000 and Bird €750,000.
• The three micromobility operators did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
• Bird, Dott and Lime 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.
• The free ride benefit for annual pass holders was part of the terms under which the firms won the 2023-2026 service contract for the city of Rome.

($1 = 0.8665 euros)

(Reporting by Sara Rossi, editing by Alvise Armellini)