Waymo’s ResponseWaymo
Autonomous vehicle company Waymo said it will voluntarily recall software for its robotaxis after reports that several of its cars illegally passed stopped school buses. The recall follows scrutiny from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),krps.org+2techcrunch.com+2
According to the aTechCrunch+2The Guardian+2
NHTSA’s concern escalated after the Austin Independent School District (AISD) documented 19 instances this school year of Waymo cars illegally passing their buses — some of those after Waymo had already released a software update to correct the problem. krps.org+2TechCrunch+2
What Went Wrong —
Waymo acknowledged that a software bug caused the problem. In some cases, its autonomous taxis wkrps.org+2The Guardian+2
On November 17, the company rolled out a software update aiming to improve behavior around school buses. Despite that, the receTechCrunch+2krps.org+2
In a statement, Waymo’s Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña said that whkrps.org+1
Safety Record vs. Recent Failures
Waymo has long emphasized its safety performance, claiming its driverless vehicles have far fewer crashes than human-driven cars. The company highlighted that in the cities where it operates, serious injury crashes and pedestrian injury crashes are significantly lower compared with human drivers. krps.org+2kedm.org+2
Still, the school-bus incidents have raised serious concerns from local school districts and federal regulators — especially given the high stakes when children are involved. Some of the violations happened even after Waymo’s initial software update, undermining confidence in the patch. TechCrunch+2nwpb.org+2
What Happens Next
- Waymo will file the recall with NHTechCrunch+1
- NHTSA — through hppr.org+1
- Waymo says it will continue to monitor performance, implement further fixes, aTechCrunch+1
This move marks a critical moment for the autonomous-vehicle industry: while self-driving technology holds promise for safer, more efficient transport, even a handful of high-profile failures — especially involving childre
