A Waymo robotaxi was recently observed driving around a school bus with its red lights flashing. As a result, federal safety regulators have opened an investigation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that its Office of Defects Investigation opened the probe after reviewing footage from early October. The incident involved a Waymo autonomous vehicle maneuvering around a stopped school bus that was unloading children in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Office of Defects Investigation stated it will investigate the performance of Waymo’s self-driving software around stopped school buses. The investigation will also examine how the system is designed to comply with rules related to school buses. The NHTSA said that, based on its engagement with Waymo so far, the likelihood of other prior similar incidents is high.
In the incident, the Waymo robotaxi crossed perpendicularly in front of the school bus from its right side. The autonomous vehicle then turned left around the front of the bus before continuing down the street. According to Waymo, the bus was partially blocking the driveway that the robotaxi was leaving. The company claims the robotaxi could not see the flashing lights or the stop sign. Waymo did not immediately respond to a question about whether the vehicle could see the students getting off the bus or the bus’s control arm.
Waymo stated that safety is its top priority, noting it provides hundreds of thousands of fully autonomous paid trips every week in challenging driving environments. The company cited data showing its vehicles get in fewer crashes than human-driven ones. It also said it will continue to work collaboratively with the NHTSA. Waymo additionally confirmed it has already issued software updates to its fleet to improve performance.
This has been a year of expansion for Waymo. The company launched in Atlanta, brought its robotaxis to Austin, and expanded across Silicon Valley. It is also testing in a number of other metro areas, including New York City. The company is testing at the San Jose and San Francisco airports and has many more cities lined up for 2026.
Part of the process of launching in new cities involves the self-driving system encountering and learning from new scenarios, though it is safe to say Atlanta was not the first place Waymo’s robotaxis have seen school buses.
This is not the first time NHTSA has opened an investigation into Waymo’s self-driving cars. In 2023, NHTSA probed reports that Waymo’s vehicles were struggling with roadway barriers like gates and chains in low-speed situations. That investigation ultimately led to a recall in 2024, which Waymo addressed with a software update. Last year, the agency announced a probe centered on reports that Waymo vehicles had driven into the wrong lane or entered construction zones.