This story originally appeared on 6abc.
Negotiations continue Friday in hopes of a deal that would end the threat of a SEPTA strike that could happen on Wednesday. Both sides have been negotiating since July and now, after the killing of a bus driver, safety and security are back in the forefront.
A tribute is now on full display, honoring the life of 48-year-old Bernard Gribbin from Abington, Pennsylvania. The 12-year employee of the transit authority and a U.S. Army veteran was driving a Route 23 bus Thursday when he was shot and killed in Philadelphia’s Germantown.
Chopper 6 was above as police took the woman believed to have pulled the trigger into custody. A motive is still not yet known.
Now, safety remains a big concern for other transit workers who are still coming to terms with what happened, as they are in the midst of tense contract talks.
SEPTA‘s staff and leadership are shaken by this.
“Just really no words. When I think of the worst thing that could happen to our SEPTA team, this is it. This is the absolute worst,” said SEPTA CEO Leslie Richards.
“We’re all aware of how dangerous it is to be a driver here. We’re with this family 100%,” added Pat Deon, a SEPTA board chairman.