Waymo’s robotaxis are under investigation for passing stopped school buses

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into Waymo following reports that the company’s robotaxis illegally passed stopped school buses in Austin, Texas.

In a letter sent to Waymo on Wednesday, the federal regulator’s Office of Defects Investigation requested detailed information about Waymo’s fifth-generation self-driving system and expressed concern that the Alphabet-owned company’s vehicles may behave unexpectedly or illegally near school buses.

The letter comes after the watchdog opened an investigation into the company in October following an incident involving a stopped school bus in Georgia. Video footage showed one of Waymo’s autonomous vehicles driving past a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arms extended. In response, Waymo said security was its top priority and that it had already released software updates to its fleet to address the issue.

However, the problem appears to have persisted. In a letter dated Nov. 20, the Austin Independent School District said it had evidence of 19 separate incidents in which Waymo vehicles were recorded driving in front of stopped school buses since the start of the school year. At least five of them occurred after the company announced that it had released an update to fix the problem.

The school district has asked Waymo to cease its self-driving operations during school pick-up and drop-off times. The district said Reuters the company had refused to stop its operations around schools and claimed that another incident involving an actively loading school bus occurred on December 1. In an email dated November 24, NHTSA explicitly asked Waymo to “let us know if you have ceased operations during these periods as requested or if you plan to cease” and to confirm whether a software fix had been implemented.

This isn’t the first time Waymo has faced regulatory scrutiny for its self-driving cars. For example, in 2024, the federal regulator launched an investigation following reports of erratic driving that potentially broke the law. This comes as the company expands into new markets, with hopes of launching in more than 20 cities in the coming years.

A Waymo spokesperson was not immediately available for comment on the investigation.