The feds ask Waymo about robotaxis that frequently pass school buses in Austin

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Waymo for more information about its self-driving system and operations after reports from an Austin school district that its robotaxi illegally overtook school buses 19 times this year.

In a December 3 letter sent to Waymo, regulators requested detailed information about the 5G self-driving system and its operations. Reuters was first to report the letter, which comes two months after the agency opened an investigation into Waymo into how its robotaxis performed around parked school buses.

The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened its initial investigation into the Alphabet-owned company in October after watching footage of Waymo’s self-driving vehicle maneuvering around a stopped school bus — with its stop sign extended and lights flashing — that was dropping off children in Atlanta. In that incident, a Waymo robotaxi crossed perpendicularly in front of the school bus on its right side. The self-driving car then turned left around the front of the bus before driving down the street.

Waymo said the bus was partially blocking the lane and that the robotaxi could not see flashing lights or a stop sign.

Waymo also said it has released a software update to its fleet to improve performance.

Reports of Waymo’s automated vehicles illegally passing school buses continued even after the reform. The Austin School District has reported 19 different instances of Waymo automated vehicles illegally passing school buses since the start of the 2025-26 school year. At least five of those cases occurred after Waymo said it updated its software on Nov. 17, the school district noted in a letter to Waymo.

In an emailed statement, Waymo said safety is its top priority. The company also said data shows its robo-taxis improve road safety, observing a five-fold reduction in injury-related crashes compared to human drivers, and 12 times fewer in injury-related crashes involving pedestrians.

The statement continued: “We have already made software updates to improve our performance and are committed to continuous improvement.” “NHTSA 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’s most trusted driver.”

Waymo asserts that software updates have significantly improved performance to a level better than human drivers in the field.

The Austin School District apparently disagrees and has asked Waymo to halt operations during certain times of the day when students are arriving and leaving school.

“It is clear that Waymo’s software updates are not working as intended nor as quickly as they should,” the district’s Nov. 20 letter to Waymo said. “We cannot allow Waymo to continue to put our students at risk as it attempts to implement reform. Accordingly, Austin ISD is requesting that Waymo immediately cease operating its automated vehicles during the hours of 5:20 AM to 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, until more in-depth software updates are completed and Waymo can ensure its vehicles are in compliance with the law.”

Federal regulators with the Office of Defects Investigation sent a letter to Waymo four days later indicating that it had been alerted by Austin school district officials. Investigators asked whether Waymo had ceased operations, at the request of the school district, whether an overhaul of its software had alleviated that concern, and whether Waymo planned to file a recall?