Waymo robotaxis have racked up 19 separate incidents of passing stopped school buses, including five after a software fix was deployed. By Stewart Burnett
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an expanded investigation into Waymo on 3 December after the company’s robotaxis were repeatedly caught passing stopped school buses in Austin. Austin Independent School District police have cited Waymo robotaxis 20 times and reported 19 separate incidents since the school year began, including five after a software fix was deployed on 17 November.
Footage shared on social media shows the vehicles proceeding past buses with red lights flashing, stop arms deployed and pedestrians walking in nearby streets. The investigation, first announced in October, intensified after five violations occurred after Waymo supposedly resolved the issue. “They reported that programming changes had been implemented in mid-November to correct previous violations,” said Chief of Police Wayne Sneed. “However, the 1 December incident indicates that those programming changes did not resolve the issue or our concerns.”
Austin Independent School District demanded Waymo immediately cease operations between 5:20-9:30am and 3-7pm until the company guarantees legal compliance. “Despite numerous requests, Waymo has refused to cease operations,” Sneed said. He further noted that the 1 December incident involved a vehicle passing a bus that had been stopped with activated red lights for nearly a full minute.
Waymo confirmed it implemented updates by 17 November claiming they “meaningfully improved performance” to levels exceeding human drivers—a common mantra with the Alphabet-owned unit. The company pointed to broader safety statistics showing a fivefold reduction in injury crashes compared to human drivers and twelve times fewer pedestrian injuries. It should be noted, however, that these figures don’t address the specific school bus violations prompting federal scrutiny.
NHTSA’s probe could force the autonomous vehicle industry’s first major recall over child safety concerns, no doubt a highly undesirable PR development for Waymo. The company first launched commercial robotaxi operations in Austin back in May, building on prior deployments in Phoenix, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
