Queensland bus operator joins global consortium going for huge Middle-Eastern contracts
Gold Coast-based transport company Transit Australia Group (TAG) has formed an international consortium shortlisted for a project in Dubai.
Transit Australia Group (TAG) incorporates Surfside Buslines, Transit Australia and bus manufacturer Bustech, operating a fleet of over 700 and delivering 30,000 services a week.
TAG chief executive officer Michael McGee says the move is part of its strategy to expand beyond Australia, following its $170 million electric bus pilot project with the Malaysian Government.
“TAG is very excited to be part of these nation-building projects in the Middle-East, and we are confident the international consortium will be successful,” he says.
“Australian companies often have unique capabilities required to compete on the international stage and I would encourage more Australian companies to think beyond our domestic borders.
TAG plans to bid on a multibillion-dollar project in Saudi Arabia and pursue other major contracts in the region, after joining forces with overseas contracting and logistics giants.
The consortium includes Saudi Arabian El Seif Contracting and Turkish logistics company Gursel.
“Being able to partner with a company of the scale, experience and reputation of El Seif, combined with Gursel’s strong transport and logistics experience – provides the consortium with a strategic advantage,” McGee says.
TAG has now established a presence in the region, following the opening of its Dubai office and has been shortlisted for a bus tender for part of a large city network of 1600 buses.
TAG and its consortium partners are also bidding on a greenfield project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – to design and build a public transportation network.
“Jeddah has a population of 3.88 million, with forecasts projecting a population of around 6.2 million in just 20 years,” McGee says.
The Saudi government has set a budget of more than $69 billion for the project, with an expected delivery date of 2020.