Bird, Dott and Lime hindered access to the free ride packages reserved for subscribers to Rome’s local public transport system.

The Italian Competition Authority has concluded the investigations, launched in November 2025, into three operators authorised to provide micromobility services (e-bikes and e-scooters) within the territory of the Roman municipality for the 2023-2026 period.

Bird, Dott and Lime were fined a total of almost EUR 2.7 million for preventing holders of the Metrebus card (the annual pass for Rome’s local public transport system) from using the free ride packages (so-called Passes) that the operators had undertaken to provide when bidding for the service.

In particular, the Authority found that the three companies had adopted inadequate measures and organisational arrangements for handling users' requests. This made the activation process burdensome, caused lengthy delays in issuing the Passes and, consequently, reduced the period during which users could benefit from them.

In the case of Bird, the Authority also established a further unfair commercial practice consisting of the arbitrary deactivation of user accounts, without providing prior information about the circumstances that could justify such action or giving users an opportunity to be heard.

The practices had a significant impact on consumers, as the three companies restricted access to a more sustainable mobility service that complements local public transport through to the use of less polluting vehicles.

Rome, 6 August 2026

Text of the decision Lime

Text of the decision Dott

Text of the decision Bird