Self-driving Waymo vehicles repeatedly passed stopped school buses, officials say

AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) - There’s a bit of a conflict brewing between driving technology and education in the capital city of Texas.

School officials in Austin said Waymo’s self-driving vehicles often are not stopping for buses.

Waymo is making changes after receiving more than 20 bus safety violations from the Austin Independent School District this school year.

“We don’t want any of these children hurt, or worse,” said Jason Coomer, an attorney who is not involved with the school district’s complaints.

This week, the autonomous vehicle company voluntarily filed a software recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration related to how its self-driving cars respond to stopped school buses.

“We have known instances, over 20 instances of them violating laws in school zone,” Coomer said. “Somebody needs to step up and take action and say, ‘Stop. This is a danger.’”

In a December video first captured by an Austin ISD bus camera, a Waymo vehicle could be seen driving through a stop. The vehicle only briefly stopped after it committed the violation and then drove off again.

After the specific violation, the school district asked the company to cease its operations around pickup and drop-off times for students.

“They did not agree with our risk assessment and respectfully declined to stop operating,” Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said.

Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“It’s problematic when the company’s not listening because their product could really hurt people, especially school children and families,” Coomer suggested.

Waymo’s system recall has been registered on the NHTSA website.

District 9 Council Member Zohaib Qadri has been outspoken about the company’s operation in Austin.

“Any time a vehicle fails to stop for a school bus, that is deeply concerning,” Qadri said.

The council member said it’s critical that companies meet safety standards and are held accountable when they fall short.

Austin isn’t the only city experiencing this problem. The NHTSA is looking into a similar incident in Atlanta from earlier this year.

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