On the Dash:
- Waymo issued a voluntary software recall after 19 incidents in Texas in which its vehicles illegally passed school buses.
- The Austin school district says violations continued even after updates, including five in November and another on Dec. 1.
- NHTSA’s probe remains active as regulators demand answers by Jan. 20 on Waymo’s fixes and continued operations near schools.
Waymo said Friday it will issue a voluntary software recall after Texas officials reported 19 cases of its self-driving vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses since the start of the school year. The recall comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) continues its probe into the Alphabet-owned company after a similar incident in Georgia.
NHTSA opened the investigation in October, when a Waymo vehicle failed to remain stopped for a school bus with red lights flashing and its stop arm deployed. The agency escalated its inquiry after receiving a Nov. 20 letter from the Austin Independent School District, which reported five additional incidents in November despite Waymo saying it had already deployed software updates.
The district urged Waymo to halt operations near schools during pick-up and drop-off times, citing a pattern of unsafe interactions. One reported incident involved a Waymo vehicle driving past a stopped bus moments after a student crossed in front of it, while the student was still in the roadway.
On December 1, another incident revealed that the programming changes had not fixed the issue. The district stated that Waymo has refused to stop operating near schools, a position that has raised concerns about student safety.
In a statement on Friday, Waymo did not explain why it declined the district’s request but acknowledged a software flaw that caused vehicles to slow or stop for a bus before proceeding incorrectly.
NHTSA has asked Waymo to answer detailed questions by Jan. 20, including whether it has fully implemented a fix and whether the recall sufficiently addresses the issue. The agency is also seeking specifics about the software update and how Waymo plans to ensure future compliance.
