A major taxi company in Bergen faces removal from patient transport services after health authorities discovered serious accounting violations. Christiania Taxi Bergen received a rejection letter just five days before their new contract was set to begin on October 1.
Health procurement officials identified what they called "serious errors" that raised doubts about the company's "professional integrity." The investigation revealed the taxi firm failed to have its accounts audited by a certified accountant, despite exceeding revenue thresholds that legally require such oversight.
Christiania Taxi Bergen has appealed the decision and continues transporting patients during the review process. The company's operations manager expressed confidence their appeal would succeed but declined to explain why accounts weren't audited.
The patient transport contracts for Helse Bergen, worth approximately 341 million Norwegian kroner, were originally awarded to four companies in July. Three other taxi firms now await potential redistribution of the disputed contracts.
Hospital procurement officials acknowledged they only discovered the accounting issues after receiving a tip-off. This raises questions about verification processes for contractor declarations.
One competing taxi company director expressed surprise that authorities didn't verify self-declarations during the bidding process. Another noted it's unusual for providers to be disqualified after contract awards.
All three remaining taxi companies confirmed they're prepared to handle increased patient transport volumes if Christiania Taxi Bergen's appeal fails. The appeal process could take up to two months.
This situation highlights potential gaps in how public health services verify contractor compliance. Authorities assumed they could trust information provided during competitive bidding, but the accounting violations went undetected until a whistleblower came forward.