SEPTA training could bring delays beginning Monday. What riders need to know
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- SEPTA customers may experience delays when traveling starting Monday Aug. 14, as the company begins mandatory safety reinforcement training for all employees.
Over the next two months, SEPTA bus and trolley operators will be attending classes to emphasize new safety measures and introduce a forum for employees to give feedback.
The training follows a series of incidents involving SEPTA vehicles throughout the city, including the collision of two buses on Roosevelt Boulevard on July 21 that killed a passenger and another incident where a trolley jumped loose from its tracks and hit a historic building in Southwest Philadelphia.
"The safety for our customers and employees is always our top priority, and we are redoubling our efforts to be even more intentional about safety in everything that we do, at all levels of the Authority," SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie Richards said in a statement. "The recent series of accidents has caused us to look internally with a critical eye to ensure we embrace safety as a core value every day."
SEPTA and union employees are working together to create the content for these trainings. Riders should expect service delays as employees will be pulled from their regular duties for a full day of training over the next eight weeks. The new trainings will spotlight the need to be vigilant in all aspects of all jobs throughout the company.
"This commitment to reaching each and every employee means that SEPTA service will be impacted. When we say nothing is more important than safety, we mean it," Richards said.
SEPTA says it will make efforts to limit the amount of disruptions to customers during this training. Riders are encouraged to check SEPTA's website for latest updates on delays ahead of traveling.
Service details are also available on the Official SEPTA App, on social media @SEPTA, and customer service representatives are available by phone at 215-580-7800.