NHTSA investigates Waymo robotaxis for illegally passing school buses
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into Waymo's self-driving vehicles after reports that they illegally passed school buses 19 times in Texas since the start of the school year, including five incidents in November following a claimed software fix. The Austin Independent School District requested that Waymo cease operations around schools during pick-up and drop-off times.
What happened
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe in October 2025 after an incident in Georgia in which a Waymo vehicle did not remain stationary when approaching a school bus with red lights flashing and stop arm deployed.
Texas officials reported that Waymo's self-driving vehicles had illegally passed school buses 19 times since the start of the school year. The Austin Independent School District reported in a November 20 letter that five of these incidents occurred in November, after Waymo said it had made software updates to resolve the issue.
One incident involved a Waymo recorded driving past a stopped school bus only moments after a student crossed in front of the vehicle while the student was still in the road.
Reported impact
The Austin Independent School District stated "We cannot allow Waymo to continue endangering our students while it attempts to implement a fix" and requested that Waymo halt operations around schools during pick-up and drop-off times until the company could ensure the vehicles would not violate the law.
NHTSA asked Waymo on November 24 if it would comply with the request to cease self-driving operations during student pick-up and drop-off times.
Index analysis
The continued incidents after Waymo's claimed software updates suggest the fix was ineffective or incomplete.
Governance controls
NHTSA demanded answers to a series of questions by January 20, 2026 about incidents involving school buses and details of software updates to address safety concerns, asking whether an appropriate software fix was implemented and if Waymo planned to file a recall.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.