NTSB Opens Investigation into Waymo Over School Bus Violations

First NTSB Investigation into Waymo

This marks the first time the NTSB has investigated Waymo, and it comes as the second federal probe into the company's school bus issue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened its own investigation in October 2025 after a Waymo vehicle in Atlanta failed to stop for a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm deployed.

The NTSB's decision to open a separate investigation signals the severity with which federal safety officials view these violations. Unlike NHTSA, which focuses on vehicle safety defects and recalls, the NTSB investigates transportation accidents and incidents to determine probable causes and issue safety recommendations.

"Illegally passing a stopped school bus is one of the most dangerous traffic violations because it puts children's lives at direct risk," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a statement. "When autonomous vehicles fail to recognize and obey school bus stop signals repeatedly, it raises fundamental questions about the technology's readiness for public deployment."

Documented Incidents Trigger Investigation

The NTSB investigation was prompted by documented evidence compiled by local school districts, law enforcement, and concerned citizens in both Austin and Atlanta. According to the board's preliminary findings:

• Austin, Texas: At least 22 documented instances of Waymo vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses between August 2025 and January 2026
• Atlanta, Georgia: Minimum of 3 confirmed incidents, including the October 2025 incident that triggered the NHTSA investigation
• Video Evidence: Multiple incidents captured on school bus dash cameras and external video recording systems
• Witness Reports: Dozens of reports filed by bus drivers, school officials, and parents

Austin Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Matias Segura said his district has been raising concerns about Waymo vehicles with city officials and the company for months.

How Waymo's System Failed

Preliminary analysis suggests that Waymo's autonomous driving system is experiencing difficulties properly recognizing and responding to school bus stop signals in certain scenarios. The failures appear to occur most frequently when:

Transportation safety experts note that these scenarios should be well within the capabilities of modern autonomous driving systems, which use multiple redundant sensors including cameras, LiDAR, and radar.

Waymo's Response

Waymo issued a statement Friday afternoon acknowledging the NTSB investigation and defending its safety record while pledging cooperation with investigators.

"Safety is Waymo's core mission, and we take any incident involving our vehicles with the utmost seriousness," the company said. "We have been actively working with NHTSA since their investigation began in October 2025, and we will provide the NTSB with full cooperation and transparency."

The company noted that it has already implemented software updates aimed at improving school bus detection and has increased training data for its machine learning systems. However, Waymo did not provide specifics on when these updates were deployed or their effectiveness in preventing future violations.

"Our data shows that Waymo vehicles have driven millions of miles safely and have a significantly better safety record than human drivers," the statement continued. "That said, we recognize that even a single safety incident is one too many, and we are committed to continuous improvement."

Local Officials Demand Action

Local government officials in both Austin and Atlanta have expressed frustration with Waymo's response to the school bus issues and are calling for stronger regulatory oversight of autonomous vehicle operations.

Austin City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, whose district includes several schools where incidents occurred, said the repeated violations demonstrate that the technology is not yet ready for widespread deployment.

"We're talking about the safety of our children," Fuentes said. "Twenty-two violations in one city in just five months is unacceptable. If a human driver did this repeatedly, they would lose their license. Why should we hold autonomous vehicles to a lower standard?"

Atlanta City Council has scheduled a special hearing for February to examine autonomous vehicle regulations and may consider requiring additional permits or insurance for robotaxi operations within city limits.

Parent and Safety Advocates React

Parents and child safety advocates have reacted with alarm to the news of repeated school bus violations by autonomous vehicles. Several advocacy groups are calling for a temporary suspension of Waymo operations until the safety issues are resolved.

"Every parent's worst nightmare is their child being hit by a car while getting on or off a school bus," said Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Cars, a national child safety organization. "The fact that this has happened more than 20 times with no consequences is deeply troubling. We need federal action now."

The National Safety Council issued a statement supporting the NTSB investigation and calling for standardized testing protocols for autonomous vehicles' ability to recognize school bus safety signals before vehicles are approved for public road use.

Implications for Autonomous Vehicle Industry

The NTSB investigation into Waymo could have significant ramifications for the entire autonomous vehicle industry. As the acknowledged leader in self-driving technology with the most extensive real-world deployment, Waymo's struggles with school bus recognition raise questions about whether other companies' systems face similar challenges.

Competitors including General Motors' Cruise (which recently resumed limited operations after its own safety suspension) and Aurora Innovation have not reported similar school bus incidents, though their operations are significantly smaller in scale than Waymo's.

"This investigation will likely lead to new federal requirements for autonomous vehicle testing and validation," said Bryant Walker Smith, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law who specializes in autonomous vehicle regulation. "School bus recognition should be table stakes for any autonomous system operating on public roads. If Waymo is struggling with this, regulators will want to know how other companies are addressing it."

Investigation Timeline and Process

The NTSB investigation will examine multiple aspects of the school bus violations, including:

• Detailed analysis of sensor data, video footage, and vehicle logs from all documented incidents
• Evaluation of Waymo's autonomous driving software and decision-making algorithms
• Assessment of the company's testing protocols for school zone and school bus scenarios
• Review of Waymo's safety management systems and incident response procedures
• Comparison with industry best practices and other autonomous vehicle operators

NTSB investigations typically take 12-24 months to complete, though preliminary findings may be released sooner if immediate safety concerns are identified. The board's final report will include probable cause determinations and safety recommendations, which while not legally binding, carry significant weight with regulators and the industry.

The parallel NHTSA investigation, which has enforcement authority, could result in recalls, fines, or restrictions on Waymo's operations if safety defects are found.

Regulatory Landscape

The incidents highlight ongoing debates about the adequacy of current autonomous vehicle regulation. Unlike traditional vehicles, which must meet extensive federal safety standards before sale, autonomous vehicles largely operate under patchwork state and local regulations with limited federal oversight.

Congressional efforts to establish comprehensive federal autonomous vehicle regulations have stalled repeatedly over the past decade, leaving companies largely free to self-certify their vehicles' safety.

"These incidents demonstrate why we need federal autonomous vehicle safety standards, not voluntary industry guidelines," said Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), who has long advocated for stronger AV regulation. "We wouldn't allow a human driver to repeatedly endanger children without consequences. Autonomous vehicles shouldn't get a pass either."