The Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) has concluded investigations initiated in November 2025 into three major micromobility operators authorized in Rome: Bird, Dott, and Lime. The watchdog imposed fines totaling €2.675 million after finding that the companies systematically obstructed access to free ride packages reserved for local Metrebus annual public transit pass holders. Under the public tender obligations for their 2023–2026 operating licenses in Rome, the operators were required to provide these complimentary pass programs to promote intermodal, eco-friendly transit.
Investigators revealed that the companies adopted inadequate organizational structures and overly cumbersome administrative processes to handle user requests. The activation process for pass packages—such as the “Lime Transit Pass,” which offered up to 80 free 30-minute rides per month—was left to understaffed, manual processing systems. In Lime’s case, thousands of requests were handled manually using basic spreadsheets by a single administrative worker, processing a tiny fraction of incoming applications and creating severe backlogs.
Regulatory filings indicate that these delays were not merely accidental operational bottlenecks. Internal corporate communications uncovered during inspections showed deliberate attempts to throttle weekly activations and keep processing channels unoptimized to limit costs and operational burden. Users faced months-long response times, arbitrary rejections, and automatic pass expirations. These practices severely shortened the window during which pass holders could actually use their free rides.
In addition to obstacles surrounding free pass activations, the antitrust authority sanctioned Bird for a second unfair commercial practice involving the arbitrary deactivation of user accounts without prior notice or opportunity for appeal. Regulators noted that the combined practices carried significant harm for consumers by restricting access to a sustainable mobility service meant to complement Rome’s broader public transportation network.
Out of the total financial penalty, Lime was fined €1.4 million—a figure reduced from an initial baseline of €1.85 million to reflect remedial measures and automated API tracking systems implemented by the company in early 2026 to clear pending requests.
