By Joe Picozzi
Every day, public transit operators across Pennsylvania get behind the wheel and go to work knowing that thousands of people are counting on them. They transport children to school, workers to their jobs, seniors to appointments and families to the places that matter. They are the people who keep our communities moving.
Bernard Gribbin was one of them.
A 47-year-old Army combat veteran and longtime SEPTA employee, Bernard spent 12 years serving Philadelphia as a transit operator. In October 2023, while driving his Route 23 bus through Germantown, his life was taken in a senseless act of violence. He was shot while doing the job he had dedicated himself to and the community he served.
The tragedy was devastating not only for Bernard’s family, friends and fellow SEPTA employees, but for everyone who relies on public transportation. When an operator is attacked, the victim is not the only person put at risk. Passengers, pedestrians, motorists and other transit employees can all be placed in danger within seconds.
This August, the person responsible for Bernard’s death, Zhontay Capers, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and other charges. While no legal outcome can bring Bernard back or erase the pain experienced by his loved ones, his death should compel us to act.
That is why I introduced legislation – Senate Bill 210 – to establish stronger penalties for individuals who interfere with or attack public transit operators.
Our public transportation workforce deserves the same basic expectation of safety as anyone else going to work. No bus driver, train operator or transit employee should have to fear being assaulted simply because they are doing their job.
The legislation would create a new offense in Title 75, relating to vehicles, for interfering with the operation of a public transit vehicle. If that interference causes serious bodily injury or death to an operator or another individual, it would be punishable as a first-degree felony. Interference that causes bodily injury or causes a person to fear imminent serious bodily injury or death, would constitute a third-degree felony.
These penalties are not about criminalizing ordinary disputes or accidental conduct. They are about drawing a clear line when someone deliberately interferes with a public transit vehicle or threatens the people responsible for operating it safely.
We have made meaningful progress on public safety. Since incidences peaked during the pandemic, crime has continued to decline, aided by the expansion of the Transit Police force, improvements in technology and infrastructure, and other safety and security initiatives. But declining crime statistics cannot become an excuse for complacency. A single violent act can forever change a family and endanger dozens of innocent people.
SEPTA supports this legislation because protecting transit operators means protecting everyone who depends on the system. A driver who is safe can concentrate on the road. A passenger who is safe can get home. A pedestrian or motorist sharing the road with a bus is safer, too.
Bernard’s military service and 12 years of service to SEPTA represented a commitment to others. He deserved to finish his shift and return home to his family.
We cannot change what happened to Bernard. But we can decide what happens next.
We can honor his memory by making it unmistakably clear that attacking or dangerously interfering with a public transit operator carries serious consequences.
Senate Bill 210 passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. Unfortunately, the bill is now languishing in the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, with no indication of when it will receive a vote. I urge the House to take action and advance this important legislation. This is a critical public safety issue, and it deserves prompt consideration. The people of our state deserve action, not further delay.
Bernard drove Route 23 to serve his community. Now it is our responsibility to stand up for the people who take the wheel every day. For Bernard, and for every transit operator who goes to work each day, we must act.
Joe Picozzi is a Pennsylvania Senator who represents the 5th District in Northeast Philadelphia