Italy fines Rome e-scooter firms Bird, Dott and Lime around $3.1 million

ROME, Aug. 6 (Reuters) - Italy's competition authority has fined e-scooter and e-bike operators Bird, Dott and Lime a total of almost €2.7 million ($3.1 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 Lime was fined €1.4 million, Dott €525,000 and Bird €750,000.
• Bird and Dott 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.
• 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.

"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.