Whenever, wherever, Shakira’s fans were going to find a way to get to her sold-out concert in New Jersey Thursday night. Some had a smooth and efficient experience taking the bus.

The workers are striking because of a pay dispute: BLET argues NJ Transit’s wage proposal puts them below their peers at other passenger rail lines in the region, while NJ Transit argues the union’s demands are unreasonably high and would raise prices for commuters.

NJ Transit and an engineers’ union appear to be steaming ahead to the first major rail strike in decades starting early Friday, even as both sides convene in Washington, D.C., where they pledged to continue negotiations.