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Waymo's Self-Driving Cars Under Scrutiny for School Bus Interactions
24 Jan
Summary
- Waymo is facing a federal investigation into its self-driving cars near school buses.
- The company filed a voluntary software recall to address vehicle behavior.
- Incidents involved vehicles failing to slow or stop for stopped school buses.
US transportation safety investigators are probing incidents where Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo self-driving vehicles exhibited improper behavior around parked school buses in Austin. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will examine how Waymo vehicles interact with school buses that are stopped to load or unload students.
This federal probe intensifies scrutiny on Waymo following approximately two dozen reported instances as of early January 2026 where its vehicles did not adequately slow or stop for school buses. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also launched its own investigation last fall.
Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, stated that none of the incidents resulted in collisions and expressed confidence in the company's safety performance compared to human drivers. He views the NTSB's examination as an opportunity for transparent insight into Waymo's safety-first approach.
In December 2025, Waymo announced plans for a voluntary software recall concerning this behavior. By November 17, 2025, the company had already deployed software updates it claims significantly improved vehicle performance around school buses. Waymo also reported meeting with the Austin school district in December 2025 to review data related to school bus interactions.
