The City of Turku is bringing a claim for damages concerning a cartel involving bus companies. The claim will be filed with the District Court of Southwest Finland during June. The City is seeking a total of approximately 11.8 million euros in compensation, including interest.
According to the precedent decision issued by the Supreme Administrative Court on 30 December 2025, six bus companies operating in public transport in the Turku region submitted joint bids in violation of the Competition Act in tendering processes in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The companies involved in the cartel were LS-Liikennelinjat, Jalon Liikenne, Kunnon Kuskit, Linjaliikenne Nyholm, No Wheels, Savonlinja and Lehtisen Linja.
The City of Turku considers that the procurement prices of regional bus services increased as a result of the cartel and that the cartel therefore caused financial damage. On this basis, the City is seeking approximately 6.2 million euros in competition law damages and approximately 5.7 million euros in contractual penalties, plus interest for late payment, from the companies involved in the cartel.
The City of Turku’s claims against the companies involved in the cartel are based on the existence of the cartel as established in the Supreme Administrative Court’s precedent decision. The amount of damages sought is based on calculations of the damage caused by the cartel in 2013 and 2014. The amount of the contractual penalty sought is based on an explicit contractual clause in the transport contract concluded in 2016.
In the claim, the City of Turku represents all municipalities in Turku regional public transport that have suffered damage as a result of the cartel. In addition to Turku, these are Kaarina, Lieto, Naantali, Raisio and Rusko.
Background:
- According to an investigation by the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority, completed in 2021, six bus companies operating in public transport in the Turku region submitted joint bids in violation of the Competition Act in three tendering processes in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
- The companies divided the transport services they had won among themselves in a manner agreed in advance.
- In 2023, the Market Court imposed penalty payments totalling 1.5 million euros on the companies.
- The Supreme Administrative Court reached the same conclusion in December 2025.