U.S. probes whether Waymo's school bus fix failed, covering 2,895 robotaxis

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a review of whether a software fix stopped Waymo robotaxis from driving past stopped school buses.

The review covers 2,895 vehicles run by Waymo, the self-driving unit of Alphabet (GOOGL), Reuters reports.

The defect lets a Waymo car pass a school bus that has its red lights flashing or its stop arm out, sometimes after the car first slowed or stopped. Waymo filed a recall for it on December 10, 2025. It said the software update had reached every affected car by November 17, 2025.

The problem did not go away. NHTSA's earlier investigation, opened in October 2025, found a large number of these incidents, and most came after the November 17 date. The agency wrote that this "calls into question the effectiveness of the recall remedy."

NHTSA has now closed that investigation and opened a recall query, a review of whether a recall did its job. It will judge whether the update was enough and look for what caused the incidents that followed it.

School districts logged many of the violations. The independent school district in Austin, Texas, counted 19, including one where a car stopped for a moment and then drove on as a student crossed the street. Public schools in Atlanta counted six more.

Waymo said in December that its update made its cars slow down and stay stopped for school buses.

The company faces a second open case with the regulator. In January, NHTSA began looking into whether a Waymo car took enough care near a Santa Monica, California, elementary school when it struck a child during morning drop-off. Waymo reported that the child had minor injuries.

Alphabet shares were up 1.8% in premarket trading, as of 6:32 a.m. ET.

Sources & Further Reading

1. "Effectiveness of recall remedy for Waymo AVs passing stopped school buses (RQ26006)." National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. November 6, 2026.
2. "US opens probe into 2,895 Waymo vehicles over school bus safety violations." Reuters. November 9, 2026.
3. "Waymo AVs drive around stopped school buses with lights flashing and stop arm extended (PE25013)." National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. November 6, 2026.
4. "Waymo AV striking a child in the area of a school (PE26001)." National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. January 29, 2026.