Waymo to recall self-driving cars that passed stopped school buses

Waymo is releasing a Voluntary recall of its self-driving cars after Texas officials reported at least 19 incidents of vehicles passing parked school buses.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday asked Waymo for an explanation of the issue Texas accidents By January 20th.

The agency opened an investigation in October to find out how this happened Waymo vehicles Reuters reported that students were behaving near school buses.

“While we are extremely proud of our strong safety record that shows Waymo has twelve times fewer pedestrian injury crashes than human drivers, adhering to the highest safety standards means recognizing when we need to do better,” Mauricio Peña, Waymo’s chief safety officer, told FOX Business in an email.

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A Waymo self-driving minivan equipped with LiDAR technology and cameras in Los Angeles in March 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images/Getty Images)

Peña said the recall would address issues of “appropriate slowing and stopping.” Company The problem is believed to stem from a software issue.

“We will continue to analyze the performance of our cars and make the necessary repairs as part of our commitment to continuous improvement,” Peña added.

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Security footage shows a white Waymo self-driving car passing a parked school bus with stop signs extended and lights flashing in Austin, Texas. (Austin Independent School District/Fox News)

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) told FOX Business earlier this week that Waymo vehicles had been cited 20 times as of Monday and that the company had refused to cease operations near schools.

Footage provided by AISD shows at least 19 incidents since the start of the school year in which Waymo vehicles drove past parked school buses with flashing red lights and stop arms deployed, while pedestrians were clearly walking on nearby streets and crosswalks.

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Waymo’s Jaguar I-PACE self-driving car waits at an intersection in San Francisco on March 18, 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images/Getty Images)

The videos show that in some cases, Waymo vehicles initially slowed or stopped in front of school buses before moving forward.

AISD reported five incidents in November after Waymo was implemented Software updatesReuters reported, citing a Nov. 20 letter sent by NHTSA.

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FOX Business’ Bonnie Chu contributed to this report.