The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday it has opened an investigation into a recent episode in which a Waymo autonomous vehicle passed a stopped school bus displaying activated lights in Austin, Texas.
According to the NTSB, the incident took place on Jan. 12 while the school bus was loading passengers. The agency also reported it is aware of a separate event on Jan. 14 that involved a Waymo vehicle and a 2023 International school bus operating on a special-needs route.
Waymo is a unit of Alphabet. The company recalled its self-driving vehicles in December after Texas authorities reported that the vehicles had illegally passed stopped school buses at least 19 times since the start of the school year. The recall predates the January incidents under investigation by the NTSB.
The NTSB statement confirms the agency's active review of the Jan. 12 matter and notes its awareness of the Jan. 14 episode. Details released by the NTSB in its announcement are limited to the dates, locations, and the involvement of the vehicles and school buses described above.
No additional causal findings, contributing factors, or outcomes were reported by the NTSB in its announcement. The available information identifies the dates, the location in Austin, Texas, the involvement of Waymo autonomous vehicles, the status of the school bus lights during the Jan. 12 incident, and the participation of a 2023 International school bus on a special-needs route in the Jan. 14 incident.
The December recall referenced in the NTSB notice followed reports from Texas officials that Waymo vehicles had passed stopped school buses with activated warning systems on at least 19 occasions since the beginning of the school year. The NTSB's current inquiry centers on the two January incidents mentioned above.
What is known:
- Jan. 12 incident in Austin, Texas, involved a Waymo vehicle passing a stopped school bus while the bus had its lights activated and was loading passengers.
- NTSB is aware of a Jan. 14 incident involving a Waymo vehicle and a 2023 International school bus on a special-needs route.
- Waymo recalled its autonomous vehicles in December after Texas officials reported at least 19 illegal passes of stopped school buses since the start of the school year.