The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a preliminary investigation into approximately 2,000 Waymo self-driving vehicles following reports that the robotaxis may have failed to comply with traffic laws around stopped school buses.
The probe, announced on Monday, focuses on an incident in which a Waymo autonomous vehicle did not remain stationary when approaching a school bus with flashing red lights, deployed stop arm, and extended crossing control arm. According to NHTSA, the vehicle initially stopped beside the bus then manoeuvred around its front, passing the extended arms while students were disembarking.
Waymo, owned by Alphabet, operates a fleet of over 1,500 robotaxis across major US cities including Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin, with plans to launch in New York City next year and expand internationally to cities such as London in 2026 and Tokyo in the coming years.
A Waymo spokesperson said the company has “already developed and implemented improvements related to stopping for school buses and will land additional software updates in our next software release”. The company added that driving safely around children is a high priority and noted that in the referenced incident, the vehicle approached the bus from an angle where the flashing lights and stop sign were not visible, and it drove slowly around the bus while keeping a safe distance from children.
NHTSA said the vehicle involved was equipped with Waymo’s fifth-generation automated driving system and was operating without a human safety driver at the time of the incident. The investigation is the latest federal review of self-driving systems as regulators scrutinise how driverless technologies interact with pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users.
