Questions about the real-world safety of autonomous vehicles are flaring up again in Austin, Texas, where Waymo’s self-driving ride-hailing cars stand accused of repeatedly blowing past stopped school buses while children are boarding or exiting.
A Pattern the District Says Won’t Stop
According to the Austin Independent School District, Waymo vehicles have continued illegally passing stopped school buses despite multiple software updates meant to fix the exact behavior. The district says the most recent violation happened just two days after Waymo wrapped up what it called a software recall specifically targeting this issue.
Austin ISD officials say the repeated failures have pushed their concerns to a new level, and they’re now renewing calls for Waymo to suspend service entirely during school-day morning and afternoon hours, when buses are actively on the road transporting students. The district says it’s also weighing legal options over what it’s calling an ongoing safety risk.
Promises That Didn’t Hold Up
Reporting from School Transportation News indicates Waymo had told the district a software fix would resolve the problem by early November 2025. But according to a memo the district’s general counsel sent Waymo later that same month, at least five additional violations occurred after that update went live. School officials say that track record shows the software isn’t working as intended, or at least isn’t working fast enough to keep students safe.
Not Austin’s First Rodeo With This Problem
Austin isn’t the only city where this has come up. Waymo is already under review by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after video emerged showing one of its vehicles illegally passing a stopped school bus in Atlanta while children were present nearby.
Self-driving advocates have long argued that autonomous systems will eventually prove safer than human drivers simply by eliminating distraction and following traffic laws consistently. Cases like Austin’s cut against that pitch, especially given how strictly school buses are protected under the law specifically because of the children involved.
Human drivers illegally pass school buses too, of course, but school officials argue that a technology marketed as a safer alternative shouldn’t be repeating the same dangerous mistakes. As Waymo keeps expanding its footprint, the Austin case adds to a growing list of questions about oversight, accountability, and whether the technology is really ready for the most safety-sensitive situations on the road.