\n<\/p>\n
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Waymo for more information about its self-driving system and operations following reports from the Austin School District that its robotaxis illegally passed school buses 19 times this year. <\/p>\n
In a December 3 letter<\/a> sent to Waymo, regulators requested detailed information about its fifth-generation self-driving system and operations. Reuters was the first to report<\/a> on the letter, which comes two months since the agency opened an investigation into Waymo over how its robotaxis perform around stopped school buses.<\/p>\n The agency\u2019s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened its initial investigation<\/a> into the Alphabet-owned company in October after seeing footage of a Waymo autonomous vehicle maneuvering around a stopped school bus \u2014 with its stop sign extended and lights flashing \u2014 that was unloading kids in Atlanta. In that incident, a Waymo robotaxi crossed perpendicularly in front of the school bus from its right side. The autonomous vehicle then turned left around the front of the bus before traveling down the street.<\/p>\n Waymo has said the bus was partially blocking the driveway and that the robotaxi could not see the flashing lights or stop sign. <\/p>\n Waymo also said it issued a software update to its fleet to improve performance.<\/p>\n Reports of Waymo robotaxis illegally passing school buses has continued even after the fix. The Austin School District has reported 19 different instances of Waymo automated vehicles illegally passing school buses since the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. The school district noted in a letter<\/a> to Waymo that at least five of these occurred after Waymo said it updated its software on November 17.<\/p>\n In an emailed statement, Waymo said safety is its top priority. The company also said data shows its robotaxis are improving road safety, noting a fivefold reduction in injury-related crashes compared to human drivers, and 12x fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> \u201cWe have already made software updates to improve our performance and are committed to continuous improvement,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cNHTSA plays a vital role in road safety, and we will continue to work collaboratively with the agency as part of our mission to be the world\u2019s most trusted driver.\u201d<\/p>\n Waymo contends that the software updates have meaningfully improved performance to a level better than human drivers in this area.<\/p>\n Austin School District seems to disagree and has asked Waymo to cease operations during certain times of the day when students are arriving and departing school.<\/p>\n \u201cWaymo\u2019s software updates are clearly not working as intended nor as quickly as required,\u201d the district\u2019s November 20 letter to Waymo reads. \u201cWe cannot allow Waymo to continue endangering our students while it attempts to implement a fix. Accordingly, Austin ISD demands that Waymo immediately cease operation of its automated vehicles during the hours of 5:20 a.m. \u2013 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. \u2013 7:00 p.m., until more in-depth software updates are completed and Waymo can guarantee its vehicles will comply with the law.\u201d<\/p>\n Federal regulators with the Office of Defects Investigation sent Waymo a letter<\/a> four days later noting that it had been alerted by Austin school district officials. The investigators asked if Waymo had ceased operations, per the school district\u2019s request, if its software fix mitigated this concern, and if Waymo planned to file a recall?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t|<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n