# Waymo Said It Fixed Its School Bus Problem. The US Government Says It Didn’t Work

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/waymo-said-it-fixed-its-school-bus-problem-the-us-government-says-it-didnt-work/
- Published: 2026-11-09T22:40:10+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T23:25:19+00:00
- Original publisher: Wired
- Original article: https://www.wired.com/story/waymo-school-bus-problem-the-us-government-says-it-didnt-work/
- Topics: Americas, Government, Politics, Software, Technology, World

## Key points

- US regulators are investigating Waymo’s school bus software fix.
- Most reported incidents occurred after the fix and recall.
- The inquiry could have financial consequences.

## Summary

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a formal investigation into whether Waymo’s software update stopped its robotaxis from illegally passing school buses loading or unloading children. The inquiry matters because the company announced a fix and later issued a voluntary recall, yet the agency says most reported incidents happened afterwards.

Waymo issued the fix in mid-November and the recall in mid-December, according to a filing; the National Transportation Safety Board also reported an incident in mid-January and is investigating. Waymo says it has significantly improved vehicle behaviour and has not been cited for passing a school bus since last March. Austin’s school district helped organise a data collection session after the recall, but incidents still continued; similar government inquiries have sometimes led to civil penalties worth tens of millions of dollars.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.