Waymo issuing recall over safety concerns involving school buses
Following public pressure, ride-hailing robotaxi service Waymo is making a significant change.
Waymo, which Alphabet owns, has been under some scrutiny this week after the Austin Independent School District publicized videos of the company’s robotaxis driving past Austin school buses with their stop signs and crossing bars deployed.
Waymo quick facts:
- As of July 2025, Waymo One is available 24/7 to customers in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Founded in 2009.
- Passed the first U.S. state self-driving test in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2012, IEEE Spectrum reported.
- Spun out from Alphabet as a separate subsidiary in 2016.
As of November 20, Waymo robotaxis were committing school bus traffic violations an average of 1.5 times per week during the school year in Austin.
Austin ISD stated that it had been in contact with Waymo for weeks regarding the issue, even going as far as to request the company halt operations between 5:20 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m. until it actually fixed the issue.
The school district stated that the company had assured them that the software update to address the issue had already been implemented.
On Dec. 1, after Waymo received its 20th citation from Austin ISD for the current school year, Austin ISD decided to release the video of the previous infractions to the public.
Waymo issues recall after video reveals school bus traffic violations
On Dec. 5, Waymo announced that it will file for a voluntary recall “early next week” to address the issue.
The company says it has identified an issue that has contributed to the safety violations. The company also said it believes the software updates it implemented by November 17 “have meaningfully improved performance to a level better than human drivers in this important area.”
Related: Waymo investigation could stop autonomous driving in its tracks
“While we are incredibly proud of our strong safety record showing Waymo experiences twelve times fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians than human drivers, holding the highest safety standards means recognizing when our behavior should be better,” said Muaricio Peña, chief security officer for Waymo.
Federal authorities are already investigating Waymo over failure to stop for school buses
Waymo isn’t the only autonomous driving company struggling with school buses, but it is the one being investigated by the NHTSA over the issue.
The NHTSA opened a Preliminary Evaluation in October to investigate an estimated 2,000 Waymo 5th-gen automated driving system-equipped vehicles, following a Georgia media report that revealed the same school bus violation.
Related: Waymo vehicle commits dangerous error in viral video
This week, it opened another investigation following the Austin ISD’s actions.
“ODI is concerned that ADS-equipped vehicles exhibiting such unexpected driving behaviors or not complying with traffic safety laws concerning school buses may increase the risk of crash, injury, and property damage,” NHTSA officials said.
Robotaxis run into public pushback
If the future is now, society will have to endure some growing pains as we adjust to the new normal.
Waymo says that compared to those with human drivers, its autonomous vehicles have been involved in 88% fewer crashes resulting in serious injuries.
Still, nearly 80% of California voters support requiring a human safety operator in self-driving trucks and delivery vehicles, and just 33% of voters express a favorable general impression of autonomous vehicles.
Groups such as Safe Street Rebels, however, say they have documented hundreds of crashes and failures by autonomous vehicles over the years.
California changes laws on autonomous driving liability
Last September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1777 into law.
The law holds manufacturers, not drivers, responsible for certain violations committed by autonomous vehicles, but some critics argue that the law does not go far enough.
The law allows law-enforcement agencies to report instances of autonomous vehicle “noncompliance” to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the California DMV is developing specifics, including potential penalties.
