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Take a Ride with Sunapee Coach
By Laura Jean Whitcomb
Photos by Paul Howe
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 The Spooner family always went out of their way to help their neighbors. Robert and Patricia owned the Sutton General Store, a country store across from the town hall in Sutton Mills. Many times, customers needed to get to doctor’s appointments and, if they were not able to drive themselves, there were few public or private transportation options available in 1985. Once in a while, Selectman Roy Prince drove people where they needed to go, but when Robert heard about the need he didn’t hesitate before he said, “I’ll be glad to do it.”
A Family Tradition
It was a natural for Shawn Spooner — who had worked at the store with his parents since age 9 — to go into the business. “I got my license at age 16 and my dad said, ‘Let’s go to Boston,’ ” he recalls. Even as a police officer in Bradford, Shawn was driving clients to the airport on his days off.
“My dad went out of his way to help anyone if they needed to get somewhere. Holidays, weekends, you name it. Every time he could have said no, he said yes,” Shawn says. “All he was interested in was his family and his customers.”
In 2000, Shawn left the police force after 10 years of service and joined his dad in the business. “It was the opportunity to build a business, build on a family tradition,” says Shawn.
The company, at the time, was named Spooners Jitney (jitney refers to the original five-cent bus fare). Robert, Shawn and two part-time drivers sat at the wheels of full-size luxury sedans, driving college presidents, business executives, politicians, families and individuals to where they needed to go up and down I-89. A 1937 Packard 12 convertible sedan was brought out for weddings in the Lake Sunapee region — “A classic ride for a classic bride,” says Shawn.
When Robert died in 2003 at age 68, Shawn relocated the business to Hooksett. “My parents worked hand in hand,” he says. “Dad drove and mom answered the phone and handled the office. The phone was ringing off the hook, so it was time to move the business out of mom’s house.”
Transportation for Everyone
Driving can be stressful. There’s traffic, potholes, inclement weather, bad drivers, construction, roadside wildlife — and you have to be on time for your business meeting, no matter what crosses your path. So why drive if you don’t have to? That’s the philosophy of many of Shawn’s clients, which include local businesses, law firms, retired executives and politicians. The backseat of the Lincoln Town Car has held the president of Colby-Sawyer College, the president of Dartmouth College, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and the former chairman of the American Red Cross, Dave McLaughlin.
McLaughlin hired Sunapee Coach for one of Shawn’s most memorable rides. “I drove Dave McLaughlin to a secure meeting at the armory two days after September 11,” Shawn recalls. “We arrived at the Red Cross headquarters at Ground Zero and armed forces searched the car and checked us out. It was emotional, life reorganizing. Everyone was shell shocked.”
Shawn’s client list isn’t limited to politicians and executives. He often drives students directly to their doorstep on holidays and vacations, providing parents with the knowledge that their children are safe. (And driven by a former police officer to boot.) He also starts a vacation off right for many families, getting them to the gate on time for departure and picking them up at baggage claim upon arrival.
“I go on vacation by proxy with these people,” Shawn laughs. “I’ve been on vacation all over the world. They tell me what to see and what not to see.”
“He’s handsome, he’s a good driver and he’s personable,” says Sandy Stark from Elkins. Sandy and her husband Tom recently went on a trip to Ireland, and Shawn drove them to Logan Airport in Boston. When Shawn asks about the trip, she leans over to him and adds, “We were very disappointed that you didn’t pick us up after our trip. The driver was a really nice guy, but we were looking forward to seeing you.”
Shawn is immediately likeable, and can put a person at ease in a matter of seconds. He takes the passenger’s lead, talking if they want conversation and keeping quiet if they need thinking time. His attention to people’s needs is part of the reason why Sunapee Coach has continued to do well.
“When I worked in family store, I saw every type of person there is and I learned to respect everyone,” he says. “It’s the same in this business. People want to be cared for. They want to know that they can fall asleep in the backseat and be safe.”
Ride with the Professionals
 Would you get into the car with just anyone? Shawn doesn’t recommend it. That’s why Sunapee Coach is an approved transportation company in the state of New Hampshire and commercially insured.
“I’m transporting the most important cargo in the world — human beings,” Shawn says. “Customers know that they are getting into a car that is insured. I am not going to compromise their safety.”
Shawn notes that customers should ask drivers for references, their US DOT number (Department of Transportation approval for interstate commerce), if they are approved by state (the NH Department of Safety’s Bureau of Common Carriers) and if they are insured. “So what if they say, ‘Yeah, we’ll take you to the airport for $50.’ You should make sure they are a legitimate company, not a fly-by-night operator. I wouldn’t want to hire a surgeon that wasn’t licensed,” he says. “When clients choose this company, they are choosing a family tradition of excellence in customer service.”
Sunapee Coach currently has four drivers on the roster, including Larry Rowe and Dick Vogt from New London; Juan Tucker in Manchester and Shawn in Hooksett. Shawn has just started advertising (changing the company name from Spooners Jitney to Sunapee Coach), created a new Web site, and putting systems in place from that first phone call to drop off. “I’m just standardizing what my father always did,” he says.
The result? More clients, and more time on the road. “Not a day goes by where we don’t have a run to the airport or to a business meeting,” Shawn says. “I drive 60,000 miles a year myself.”
You would think that hiring a driver would be expensive, but Shawn has kept his rates low, despite the increasing price of gasoline. “We’re not the most expensive, and some would say we’re too inexpensive,” says Shawn. “Dad always wanted to provide service to everyone, just like the store.”
Robert Spooner would be proud.
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