Officials widen investigation into Waymo regarding self-driving taxis operating near buses

Federal authorities have announced they are widening their investigation into Waymo after reports emerged that the company's autonomous vehicles bypassed stopped school buses in Austin, Texas. In a letter dated December 3, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated it would examine the vehicles adherence to traffic safety laws.

The Austin Independent School District informed media outlets that it has documented 20 instances this school year where Waymo vehicles illegally passed stopped school buses. According to NHTSA, all 50 U.S. states require drivers to stop when school buses display flashing red lights and extend their stop-arm signals.

Waymo acknowledged a software problem that contributed to the incidents and said it deployed updates by November 17 to enhance vehicle performance. Despite these updates, local officials in Austin remain concerned about road safety. JJ Maldonado, a communications representative for the Austin school district, noted that as of December 1, 2025, Waymo had received its 20th citation since the start of the school year, even after claiming to have fixed the software issue.

In a November 20 letter, the school district requested that Waymo suspend operations during the times when students are boarding and leaving school buses until the company can ensure compliance with the law. Maldonado stated that Waymo declined to pause its services during these hours.

Regarding the NHTSA investigation, a Waymo spokesperson emphasized the company's overall safety record, highlighting significant reductions in injury-related crashes compared to human drivers and fewer pedestrian-related incidents.

Previously, in October, NHTSA opened an inquiry after a Waymo vehicle in Atlanta drove past a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended. During that incident, no safety operator was present inside the vehicle, and Atlanta Public Schools reported six similar violations in their district.

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, launched its fully autonomous vehicle service in October 2020 in Phoenix and now provides hundreds of thousands of driverless rides weekly in cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Phoenix, and Atlanta. The company has also announced plans to expand its service to Philadelphia as part of a broader rollout across multiple cities.

Author: Benjamin Carter