Automotive
Regulators probe whether Waymo robotaxis still pass school buses after software fix
NHTSA says most reported incidents came after Waymo's software update, which the company says was completed November 17, 2025.
The short version
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into why Waymo robotaxis continued passing stopped school buses.[TechCrunch · Engadget]
- NHTSA said in a November 6 filing that most reported passing incidents happened after Waymo deployed its software update.[TechCrunch]
- Waymo says its update was completed for all affected vehicles on November 17, 2025, and that it has received no citations since March 2026.[TechCrunch]
- Austin Independent School District officials reported at least five such incidents to NHTSA.[TechCrunch]
Key facts
- NHTSA said in a November 6 filing that a majority of reported school bus passing incidents occurred after Waymo deployed a software update intended to fix the problem.[TechCrunch]
- NHTSA opened a recall query to assess whether Waymo's software remedy for robotaxis passing stopped school buses was effective.[TechCrunch · Engadget]
- Waymo said a software update was completed for all affected vehicles on November 17, 2025.[TechCrunch]
- Waymo said it has received no citations for its vehicle behavior around school buses since March 2026.[TechCrunch]
- Austin Independent School District officials reported at least five incidents of Waymo robotaxis passing school buses to NHTSA.[TechCrunch]
- The National Transportation Safety Board launched its own investigation into Waymo's robotaxi behavior around stopped school buses earlier this year.[Engadget]
What remains uncertain
- It is not yet known whether Waymo's software remedy resolved the school bus passing behavior, as the NHTSA probe is ongoing and no findings are reported.[TechCrunch · Engadget]
- Waymo's statements about significant improvements and no citations are company-reported and not independently verified in the available reporting.[TechCrunch]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.