Regulators probe waymo after robotaxi drove around stopped school bus

A Waymo Robotaxi recently spotted Driving around a school bus with a flashing red light, and federal safety regulators have opened an investigation as a result.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Nhtsa) announced Monday morning that the Office of Disability Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation after seeing footage from the beginning of a vehicle maneuvering a school bus in Atlanta, Georgia.

Odi said in a Document whether it will investigate the performance of wayMo’s driving software around school uniforms, how the system is designed to comply with bus-related regulations, and more. Nhtsa said on Monday that, based on the involvement of puppets so far, there is another “possibility” before the same incident. ”

The puppet robotaxi in the question crosses in front of the school bus from the right. The autonomous vehicle is then left in front of the bus before walking down the street. According to WAYMO, the bus partially blocked the road where the Robotaxi was leaving. The company claims Robotaxi cannot see flashing lights or stop signs. WayMo did not immediately respond to questions about whether the vehicle could see students to board the bus, or the bus’s control arm.

“Safety is our top priority, as we provide hundreds of thousands of autonomous paid trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments in the US,” the company said in a statement showing the vehicle. less crashes than human-driven onesSee rank-. “Nhtsa plays an important role in road safety, and we will continue to work in collaboration with the agency as part of our mission to be the world’s most trusted driver.”

WayMo also said Monday that it has issued a software update to its fleet to improve performance.

This has been a year of expansion for waymo. The company launched in Atlanta, brought robotaxis to Austin, expanded to Silicon Valley, and is testing in several other metro areas, including New York City. You are also trying at San Jose and San Francisco airports, and many cities have lined up 2026.

Part of the process of launching a new city is experiencing the driving system and learning from new scenarios – although it’s safe to say Atlanta isn’t the first place Robotaxis has seen a school bus.

This is not the first time Nhtsa has opened an investigation into Waymo’s self-driving cars. In 2023, the Nhtsa caused the reporting of these puppet vehicles similar to road obstacles like gates and chains in low-speed conditions. If investigated causing a recall in 2024which works by means of software updates. Last year, the Agency announced that it had been proven in the center report that a waymo vehicle has taken the wrong lane or entered a construction zoneSee rank-.