Waymo caught passing stopped school buses 20 times in Austin alone
2 months ago
- #autonomous-vehicles
- #transportation
- #safety-regulations
- NTSB investigates Waymo robotaxis for illegally passing stopped school buses in multiple states.
- Focus on over 20 incidents in Austin, Texas; preliminary report expected within 30 days.
- Second investigation into Waymo's school bus issue; NHTSA launched a similar probe in October.
- Waymo issued a software recall but issues persist, especially in Austin.
- Austin school district requested Waymo suspend operations during school bus pickup/drop-off times.
- Waymo expanding rapidly in the U.S., now operating in Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
- Waymo claims its safety performance around school buses is superior to human drivers.
- NTSB differs from NHTSA—it investigates root causes but cannot issue fines or penalties.
- First notable incident occurred in Atlanta in September; Waymo addressed it with a software update.
- Austin incidents captured on school bus cameras; local news outlet KXAN published videos.