U.S. expands investigation into Waymo over robotaxis driving around stopped school buses
Federal regulators have announced an expansion of their investigation into Waymo this week, following reports that the company’s self-driving cars were observed navigating around school buses that were stopped on the road in Austin, Texas.
In a letter dated Dec. 3, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) informed Waymo of their intent to investigate the performance of the autonomous vehicles and their adherence to traffic safety laws. This decision comes in light of a report by Reuters, which first brought attention to the issue.
The Austin Independent School District has reported a total of 20 incidents during this school year in which Waymo vehicles illegally passed school buses. It is important to note that all 50 U.S. states have laws mandating vehicles to come to a halt for a stopped school bus displaying flashing red lights and a deployed stop-arm signal, as per the NHTSA guidelines.
Following these incidents, Waymo acknowledged a software issue that contributed to the school bus incidents. The company stated that it had implemented updates by Nov. 17 to address the issue and improve the performance of its vehicles.
Despite the software updates, concerns about road safety persist among local officials in Austin.
“As of Dec. 1, 2025, Waymo has received its 20th citation since the start of the school year,” said JJ Maldonado, a communications specialist for the Austin Independent School District. “This is after the company claimed to have resolved the issue through software updates rolled out on Nov. 17.”
In a letter dated Nov. 20, the school district urged Waymo to suspend operations within the district during school bus loading and unloading hours until the software updates are completed and the company can guarantee compliance with traffic laws.
Despite the school district’s request, Waymo allegedly declined to cease operations during the specified hours.
In response to inquiries about the NHTSA probe, Waymo emphasized its commitment to safety and cited its overall safety record.
“Safety is our top priority, and our data demonstrates that we are enhancing road safety in the communities where we operate, with a fivefold reduction in injury-related crashes compared to human drivers, and twelve times fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians,” a Waymo spokesperson stated in an email response to CBS News.
Waymo did not provide immediate comment on its response to the Austin school district’s request to suspend service during school bus loading and unloading times.
In a separate incident in Atlanta, Georgia, NHTSA initiated an investigation after a Waymo vehicle was reported to have passed a stopped school bus with flashing red lights and a deployed stop arm. The vehicle allegedly passed the bus’ stop arm and a safety device without a safety operator present in the self-driving vehicle at the time, as per the NHTSA report.
Atlanta Public Schools confirmed awareness of six instances where Waymo vehicles illegally passed stopped school buses.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., first introduced its fully autonomous vehicle service to the public in October 2020 in Phoenix. The company now offers hundreds of thousands of driverless rides each week in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Phoenix, and Atlanta.
Recently, Waymo announced plans to expand its services to Philadelphia, among two dozen other cities where the company intends to establish a presence.
