You won’t find many businesses that can trace their roots back to a simple knock on the door, but that’s how it all began for BaileyCoach.com. “I always come in early,” says John Bailey, owner and co-founder of the company.

“About a quarter after 6 one morning, a gentleman knocked on the door of our agency, Bailey Travel, and said, ‘Have you ever thought about opening up a bus company?’  I said, ‘No, why’?”

The stranger, Rodney Sechrist, explained that he had once worked for a bus company, felt there was a lot of opportunity there, and suggested the two of them make a go of it.

Not long after that morning encounter, the two formed a partnership. In April of 1998, they purchased two used busses, and Bailey Coach was up and rolling.

Now, nearly 20 years later, Bailey Coach serves South Central Pennsylvania with more than 50 employees and 26 vehicles – a collection of motor coaches, vans, and sedans that run about 400 trips per month.

Bailey Coach: A tradition of transportation

The story of Bailey Coach is one of perseverance, community, and the spirit of customer service.

STORY PAID FOR BY:BAILEY COACH

You won’t find many businesses that can trace their roots back to a simple knock on the door, but that’s how it all began for Bailey Coach. “I always come in early,” says John Bailey, owner and co-founder of the company.

“About a quarter after 6 one morning, a gentleman knocked on the door of our agency, Bailey Travel, and said, ‘Have you ever thought about opening up a bus company?’  I said, ‘No, why’?”

The stranger, Rodney Sechrist, explained that he had once worked for a bus company, felt there was a lot of opportunity there, and suggested the two of them make a go of it.

Not long after that morning encounter, the two formed a partnership. In April of 1998, they purchased two used busses, and Bailey Coach was up and rolling.

Now, nearly 20 years later, Bailey Coach serves South Central Pennsylvania with more than 50 employees and 26 vehicles – a collection of motor coaches, vans, and sedans that run about 400 trips per month.

The changes of 9/11

Shortly after the company bought its third bus, 9/11 hit.

“We probably lost 50 percent of our motor coach business over night,” John says. “Parents weren’t about to put their children on a bus for a school trip to D.C. or New York City.”

As that anxious year drug on, John and his team went about building a more “recession-proof” business. They found it on campus.

“We have contracts with three local colleges now,” he says. “Athletic team schedules are set. We know when they’re going and where they’re going. Logistically, it’s very nice.”

Bailey Coach also transports diverted passengers for the airlines and Amtrak, does work for the military, and is an active FEMA contractor.

“Over the years,” John says, “we’ve sent many busses to the coasts for hurricane relief.”

A tradition of team effort

Kim Smith, a sales representative and 30-year member of the company, does the scheduling, but that’s just the start.

“We could have five different buses headed to one school, so there’s the dispatcher, the drivers, the mechanics, the wash bay; it’s a lot of teamwork,” she says.

John credits his staff for enabling the business to grow.

“Customers know they always having someone reliable and courteous to talk to,” he says, “someone who will take them where they’re going and return them safely back home.”

That spirit of customer satisfaction flows through John’s blood.

“I owe all of this to my Uncle Glenn,” he says. “He was a school teacher at York High in the 30s and 40s, and he organized his first trip, a train trip to the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933.”

Bailey’s uncle convinced John’s father to start the business. Bailey Travel opened in 1949.

“So, for 80 years,” he says, “Bailey has been a name that South Central Pennsylvania can count on to serve their travel needs.”