Waymo recalls robotaxi software due to school bus incidents

Waymo is issuing a software recall for its robotaxis following reports of the autonomous cars illegally passing school buses in Austin.

This is not going to be one of those recalls in which the vehicles are actually pulled from the road. Instead, Waymo will simply update its ride-hailing cars’ software.

The recall comes following a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into at least 19 security incidents in which Waymo robotaxis have illegally passed school buses in the Texas capital. The NHTSA kicked off the probe after receiving a video of a Waymo car passing a school bus with an extended stop sign and flashing lights on.

Waymo initially said it had released a software fix on Nov. 17, though there were reports of incidents after that date. It’s unclear whether the new fix is different from the old one.

Following the incidents, Austin Independent School District requested that Waymo should temporarily stop operating in Austin when children are loading and unloading on school buses until it can guarantee their safety. Waymo hasn’t indicated it plans to comply with that request.

Waymo currently operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin, and plans to expand to a number of new U.S. cities soon, including Miami, Washington D.C., Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando, as well as international cities like London.