A former Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) bus driver who was involved in 19 crashes during her career was sentenced to at least six months in jail Thursday after killing a pedestrian as she crossed a downtown street in June 2023.
Geraldine Johnson, who had been involved in another fatal bus accident in 2015, received a one-year jail sentence and two years of probation from 36th District Court Judge Lynise Bryant.
The 61-year-old woman pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of moving violation causing death on Aug. 26.
Johnson is required to serve the first six months in the Wayne County Jail, and the remainder can be spent outside of jail as long as she adheres to the conditions of her probation.
Janice Bauer, 67, of Grosse Pointe Park, was walking across the street at a crosswalk near Griswold Street and West Congress when the bus driven by Johnson slammed into her.
“This case is tragic on every level. Janice Bauer lost her life,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a written statement. “The alleged facts are that defendant, Geraldine Johnson, literally ran her over with the city bus she was driving and caused her death.”
In April 2015, Johnson also fatally plowed into passenger Joey Davis while he was removing his bicycle from a rack at the front of the bus. His family settled a lawsuit against the city for $4.5 million.
Bauer’s family also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city. The case is still in court.
Johnson worked as a bus driver for 26 years.
The city said it was unable to fire Johnson because of a clause in the bus driver’s union contract, which bars discipline for employees who have been off the job for more than 18 months. After the 2015 fatal crash, Johnson was on medical leave for two years.
Detroit is also in the midst of a driver shortage, which often causes lengthy delays for bus riders.
