Lime wins court battle to operate e-scooters in Milan

Micromobility operator Lime has won the right to operate its e-scooters in Milan following a court battle over violations of a tender awarded in 2023.

The case arose after the city ordered the removal of Voi and Bolt e-scooters earlier this year for not conforming with the terms of its e-scooter tender, opening up the possibility for other operators to take their place.

Speaking to Cities Today, Adriano Loporcaro, Shared Mobility Planner for Milan’s Mobility, Environmental and Territorial Agency (AMAT), said Lime would be permitted to roll out its e-scooters in the coming days.

“In the public tender the Municipality of Milan inserted the possibility of bringing an immediate end to the authorisation [of e-scooters] if in the monitoring activity we found matters were not in conformity with the proposal of each operator.

“Last March the Municipality of Milan stated that the authorisation would be revoked for Bolt and Voi [e-scooters] because they didn’t respect some commitments indicated in their proposals.”

The city said that part of Bolt’s e-scooter fleet were not equipped with helmets and the rear tyres did not comply with requirements.

On Voi’s e-scooters, some rear tyres were found to have similar discrepancies to the requirements set out in the tender.

Both companies challenged this decision unsuccessfully in court and the case was then referred to the State Council.

The Council upheld the decision of the city in relation to Bolt, while Voi is still awaiting a ruling.

Lime was also a party to the case, arguing that Bolt and Voi had not conformed to the tender’s fleet requirements.

“They [Voi and Bolt] have engaged a legal process but at the moment the courts have confirmed the legality of the decision of the Municipality of Milan,” Loporcaro added.

“Lime has now received the authorisation to operate in Milan with its scooters and in the coming days their vehicles will be on the streets.”

Background

E-scooters were officially introduced to Milan in February 2020 after a public tender the previous year.

Prior to that they operated in an unregulated environment.

Initially there were three operators, but this gradually increased to seven, with firms required to submit reports monthly.

The city then reverted to three operators – Bolt, Voi and Dott.

Following the court’s decision, Lime and Dott (acquired by Tier in March 2024) are now the only operators permitted in Milan, with a fleet of 2,000 e-scooters each.

Discussions are also underway to allow Tier-owned Vento Mobility to be the third operator but the city is currently assessing whether there is a conflict of interest since the tender did not stipulate if two companies with one owner is permitted.

Industry reaction

Lime have welcomed the decision to allow its return to Milan.

“Lime e-scooters will soon return to the city of Milan, in addition to our bike fleet currently available,” said Matteo Cioffi, Regional General Manager Germany and Italy. “Our goal remains to offer a reliable and concrete alternative to private transportation, making shared micromobility an increasingly accessible service for citizens.”

In a statement provided to Cities Today, a Voi spokesperson said: “Voi has always actively collaborated with the city of Milan to start the service as soon as possible, ensuring continuity for the citizens.

“For the Milan tender, we made significant investments in new generation vehicles that meet higher safety standards than those previously required in the sector.

“Additionally, we have invested heavily in staff recruitment and development to guarantee top-level operational efficiency for the city.

“Unfortunately, the Red Sea crisis severely impacted us earlier this year, leading to delays in vehicle delivery and subsequently impacting our services.

“This delay was unexpected and beyond our direct control. Although we eventually received all vehicles between April and May, the City had already revoked our licence at that time without providing any explanation.

“We now hope that the State Council will consider our situation and we are eager to once again serve Milan with our latest generation fleet.”

Bolt did not respond to a request for comment.

Image: Lime