ST John Ambulance has lost out on a new contract with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, the Irish News has learned.
The charity, which has been transporting non-emergency patients for the north's health service over the past decade, reached the end of its contract last weekend.
Concern about reliance on private ambulances - which cost the taxpayer £1m last year - led to a new tender being advertised with a March deadline.
While organisations like St John have traditionally been used during exceptional periods such as busy holidays and major incidents, there was criticism after it emerged they had been employed 600 times in January alone.
A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) confirmed that "a number" of organisations had submitted bids for the new tender - which covers NIAS as well as Belfast health trust and Southern health trust patients - and that five were successful.
"Of the successful organisations that have been awarded the contract, Proparamedics, Green Light Ambulances and British Red Cross have been used by NIAS since the new contract went live on Monday 17th April," he said.
"The previous contract (with St John) expired on Sunday 16th April at midnight which is when NIAS last availed of St John support under the previous contract."
But he added that NIAS will continue to use the services of volunteers from St John Ambulance and the Order of Malta during exceptional periods.
"NIAS maintains a memorandum of understanding for the use of St John and the Order of Malta in the event of regional escalation plans to meet increased demand due to possible or actual major incidents," he said.
A spokeswoman for St John Ambulance declined to comment on the new contract.
The Department of Health said: “The tender was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union ?with the potential for all trusts to participate. The tender was advertised to create a framework agreement for 24 months with options to extend for up to a further 24 months (48 months total).
"The framework has a maximum expenditure value (over the 48 month period) of £16.8m which includes an allowance for growth. The value of the NIAS part of this framework agreement is a maximum of £7.2m over the four years and also includes an allowance for increase in growth.”
