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Long-time HAT bus driver now wants to take trip of his own

David Spencer stands next to his familiar HAT van. The popular driver retired on Friday, July 18, after 19 years of service.
David Spencer stands next to his familiar HAT van. The popular driver retired on Friday, July 18, after 19 years of service. Photo by Rebecca Sandlin.

Originally published July 24, 2014.

One of the first things on David Spencer's list, now that he's retired from Huntington Area Transportation, is the equivalent of a postman's holiday: He's going on a trip.

After 19 years working full time as a driver, scheduler and maintenance coordinator, Spencer, 78, has retired, his last day Friday, July 18.

"I have bad knees," he explains. "I just didn't feel safe getting out and doing it anymore, or I'd go for 20 (years)."

Before he took the job at HAT, he drove a truck for Scarborough Produce, delivering eggs. When Scarborough went out of business, he began delivering people, a job he has loved with a passion.

"It's the best 19 years that I've ever spent," he says. "Some of the people I've met, I wouldn't have had the chance to meet before. And all the people I work with are just great, everybody."

When Spencer began, there were only two vans transporting people to their destinations. Today HAT uses 15 vans with a pool of 15 drivers to ferry clients to doctor's appointments, the grocery store or work, among other places. He estimates he has transported about 20 people per day in his van alone.

Spencer has also had some interesting experiences in the past 19 years, but he says every patron he has driven has provided a unique experience.

"The most unusual, is when I picked up a lady. She came to town from out west of town," he recalls. "When we got to town, she says, ‘Can you stop at the vet?' I wondered why. In her purse she had a little kitten. I did not know it because they're supposed to let us know if they're going to bring animals. That was one of the most unusual, that she had that kitten hidden in her purse."

Spencer made the unscheduled stop at the veterinary clinic, where his rider left the kitten.

Another time Spencer was on a run when he noticed he was driving on one less wheel. Luckily he had not picked up his passenger yet.

"I was headed toward Lancaster and I had just turned off of Etna Avenue on old 221, and I happened to look in the mirror, and there was the wheel, sticking out of the back of the van. The axle had broken. That put an end to that day right quick."

Spencer says the most rewarding part of his job has been meeting the people who have ridden in his van.

"And maybe saying a kind word, or helping somebody out more than we usually do," he says. "Then I can go home and feel good that I've helped somebody in some way today."

He has also been popular with his riders, who say they'll miss his smile and personable demeanor.

"I love him to death," says Penny Drabenstot, who uses HAT as her primary form of transportation. "He just makes it a pleasant trip. He's always joking, cutting up ... I just feel very comfortable and at ease and safe, which for me is a very big thing because I've been in so many accidents. He just makes it a really, really neat ride."

The Huntington County Council on Aging, which runs the HAT service, held a reception for Spencer and a carry-in lunch for his last day. Transportation Coordinator Sandy Allen says he was reliable and dependable during his 19 years' service.

"We're going to miss him. He was always here first thing in the morning and he was just an overall nice person. We never had any complaints about his driving," she says. "He came to work and did his job and did his job well."

Sometime soon, Spencer is planning to take a trip to Arkansas and Oklahoma to visit relatives he hasn't seen in several years, he says.