Gold Coast bus maker and operator Transit Australia Group wins Gold Coast Business Excellence top gong

A star Gold Coast company on the brink of major international deals has won the ultimate local business accolade.

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A STAR Gold Coast company on the brink of major international deals has won the ultimate local business accolade.

Robina-based bus manufacturer and operator Transit Australia Group (TAG) has been named Business of the Year at the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards on Saturday night. It comes after TAG won a mayor’s business innovation award earlier this year.

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TAG subsidiary Bustech designs and manufactures five different buses for the Australian public transport industry and has thousands in operation across the country.

It also has buses in operation in New Zealand and is making inroads into Asia.

Bustech won recent plaudits for launching the country’s first full electric bus and is the lead design and manufacturing partner for a $176 million electric bus project for the Malaysian Government.

The company is also in the running to secure several multi-million dollar deals in the Middle East.

TAG chief executive Michael McGee said winning the ultimate award was not expected.

“Just to be mentioned as a finalist was an honour.”

The global expansion is another step in the amazing growth of the locally-headquartered firm which was started by the Calabro family when it bought the Greyhound bus company in 1989.

The Gold Coaster dubbed the ‘King of Canals’ Jock McIlwain was inducted at into the Gold Coast Business Hall of Fame at the awards night at Jupiters hotel.

The engineer, businessman and philanthropist played a key role in the design and build of many of the city’s waterways and waterside suburbs.