Waymo taxis won’t stop passing stopped school buses, feds say

Federal safety regulators are investigating Waymo self-driving cars after reports that the robo-taxis illegally pass school buses — even after a software update last year that was intended to solve the issue. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday it opened a recall query into 2,895 vehicles over the continued safety violations, according to Reuters. The investigation will determine whether a software update Waymo issued under a December 2025 recall fixed the issue — or whether Waymo vehicles still pass school buses with flashing red lights or extended stop arms, indicating that vehicles behind them cannot pass. It is illegal in all 50 U.S. states to pass a stopped school bus. The auto regulator opened a “recall query” to “assess the adequacy” of Waymo’s initial remedy. Waymo is under investigation by federal safety regulators over reports that the self-driving cares illegally pass school buses (Reuters)The administration claims the majority of incidents involving Waymo vehicles passing school buses occurred after November 2025, when Waymo said it had completed the software update necessary to fix the issue. The feds also opened a probe into the company in January after one of the self-driving vehicles hit a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, as the child was heading to school. The child sustained “minor injuries” from the incident, the company said at the time. Months later, in October, the administration launched a preliminary probe into Waymo after reports emerged of the autonomous cars not following traffic laws near school buses. There have been numerous reported incidents of Waymos passing school buses that have red flashing stop lights or an extended stop sign (Getty)Austin Independent School District in Texas reported 24 alleged violations by Waymo cars as of January, a spokesperson told The Independent at the time. Incidents of Waymo cars passing stopped school buses were also reported in Atlanta. As a result, Waymo announced a voluntary software recall in December of last year for over 3,000 vehicles. While the company said the update had been fully deployed, the administration’s probe will look into the adequacy of the remedy. Waymo currently has fleets in several major U.S. cities, including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami and Austin, Texas.