The Supreme Administrative Court of Finland has evaluated the legality of joint offers made by bus companies in the public transport procurement processes in the Turku region. This ruling, issued in December, found that these companies had engaged in prohibited collaboration under competition law by submitting joint offers during the Föli tendering processes in 2013, 2014, and 2016.

The court determined that such joint offers likely restricted and distorted price competition among the companies, aiming to maintain or increase their market shares in the region's transport services. The court noted that the bus companies had opportunities to compete independently for the contracts, which further emphasized the illegality of their actions.

This case marks a significant assessment of joint offers at the highest judicial level in Finland, as such collaborations are generally prohibited. Each company is expected to independently decide on its competitive behavior, and joint offers are only permissible if they can demonstrate efficiency benefits that outweigh the competition restrictions.

The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority had proposed penalties of approximately €1.9 million for the involved companies. Ultimately, the Market Court imposed a total of €1,535,000 in penalties on several companies, including Jalon Liikenne Oy and Turun Citybus Oy. The Supreme Administrative Court upheld this decision, leaving the penalties unchanged.