Regulators Probe Waymo After Its Robotaxi Drove Around A Stopped School Bus

A Waymo robotaxi was precocious spotted driving astir a schoolhouse autobus pinch its reddish lights flashing, and national information regulators person opened an investigation arsenic a result.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Monday greeting that its Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation aft seeing footage from early October of a Waymo autonomous conveyance maneuvering astir a stopped schoolhouse autobus that was unloading kids successful Atlanta, Georgia.

ODI says successful a document that it will analyse nan capacity of Waymo’s self-driving package astir stopped schoolhouse buses, really nan strategy is designed to comply pinch rules related to nan buses, and more. NHTSA said Monday that, based connected its engagement pinch Waymo truthful far, nan “likelihood of different anterior akin incidents is high.”

The Waymo robotaxi successful mobility crossed perpendicularly successful beforehand of nan schoolhouse autobus from its correct side. The autonomous conveyance past turned near astir nan beforehand of nan autobus earlier walking down nan street. According to Waymo, nan autobus was partially blocking nan driveway that nan robotaxi was leaving. The institution claims nan robotaxi could not spot nan flashing lights aliases extremity sign. Waymo did not instantly respond to a mobility astir whether nan conveyance could spot nan students getting disconnected nan bus, aliases nan bus’s power arm.

“Safety is our apical priority, arsenic we supply hundreds of thousands of afloat autonomous paid trips each week successful immoderate of nan astir challenging driving environments successful nan U.S.,” nan institution said successful a statement, while citing information that shows its vehicles get successful fewer crashes than human-driven ones. “NHTSA plays a captious domiciled successful roadworthy safety, and we will proceed to activity collaboratively pinch nan agency arsenic portion of our ngo to beryllium nan world’s astir trusted driver.”

Waymo besides said Monday that it has already issued package updates to its fleet to amended performance.

This has been a twelvemonth of description for Waymo. The institution launched successful Atlanta, brought its robotaxis to Austin, expanded crossed Silicon Valley, and is testing successful a number of different metro areas, including New York City. It’s besides testing astatine nan San Jose and San Francisco airports, and has galore much cities lined up for 2026.

Part of nan process of launching successful caller cities is having nan self-driving strategy brushwood and study from caller scenarios — though it’s safe to opportunity Atlanta was not nan first spot that Waymo’s robotaxis person seen schoolhouse buses.

This is not nan first clip NHTSA has opened an investigation into Waymo’s self-driving cars. In 2023, NHTSA probed reports that Waymo’s vehicles were struggling pinch roadway barriers for illustration gates and chains successful low-speed situations. That investigation yet led to a callback successful 2024, which Waymo addressed pinch a package update. Last year, nan agency announced a probe centered connected reports that Waymo vehicles had driven into nan incorrect lane aliases entered building zones.