Quick answer: As of Nov. 10, 2026, federal safety regulators are checking whether Waymo’s software fix for stopped school buses actually worked. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a recall query covering 2,895 Waymo robotaxis. Most reported violations happened after Waymo said every car had the fix. Nobody has been fined, and no new recall has been ordered yet.
Here is the short version, then the full timeline, who decides what, and what it means if you live in a Waymo city.
| At a glance | What we know |
|---|---|
| Who is investigating | NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (federal auto safety regulator) |
| Type of probe | Recall query, which tests whether an earlier recall fix was good enough |
| Vehicles covered | 2,895 Waymo cars with its fifth-generation driving system (Reuters: “nearly 3,000”) |
| Recall being reviewed | Recall 25E084, filed by Waymo on Dec. 10, 2025 |
| The problem | Robotaxis passing school buses with red lights flashing or the stop arm out |
| Made public | Monday, Nov. 9, 2026 (Reuters) |
| Waymo’s response | Says it improved bus behavior and has had no citations since March 2026 |
| Injuries from bus passing | None reported, according to Waymo (as of December 2025) |
What is happening with Waymo right now?
Waymo is the self-driving taxi company owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Its driverless cars carry paying riders in several U.S. cities, including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta.
Last school year, people started reporting Waymo cars driving past stopped school buses. That is illegal for any driver when a bus has its red lights flashing and stop arm out. Waymo fixed its software and filed a voluntary recall in December 2025.
Now regulators say the problem kept happening. According to Reuters, NHTSA said on Nov. 9 that most of the violations took place after November 2025. That is when Waymo said the software remedy was finished on all affected cars.
So NHTSA wants to know two things. Was the fix adequate? And why did cars keep passing buses after it?
Timeline: Waymo and the school bus problem
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| September 2025 | Atlanta TV station WXIA airs video of a Waymo driving around a stopped school bus (NPR). |
| October 2025 | NHTSA opens a preliminary evaluation into Waymo cars passing stopped school buses. |
| Fall 2025 | Austin Independent School District tells NHTSA it documented 19 times Waymo cars passed its buses (NPR). |
| Nov. 17, 2025 | Waymo’s recall report says every affected car had received the software update by this date (Quartz). |
| Early December 2025 | NHTSA sends Waymo detailed questions with a response deadline of Jan. 20, 2026 (NPR). |
| Dec. 6, 2025 | Waymo says it will file a voluntary software recall (NPR). |
| Dec. 10, 2025 | Waymo files Recall 25E084 with NHTSA (Quartz). |
| January 2026 | A Waymo car strikes a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, Calif. NHTSA and the NTSB open separate probes (Reuters). |
| March 2026 | Waymo says this is the last month it received a school bus citation (Reuters). |
| June 2026 | In a separate case, Waymo recalls 3,871 robotaxis over a flaw that sent cars into closed freeway construction zones (Quartz). |
| Nov. 9, 2026 | NHTSA says it opened a recall query into the school bus fix and closed the 2025 preliminary evaluation (Reuters). |
One small note on dates. Reuters reported NHTSA announced the query on Monday, Nov. 9. Quartz described it as opened the Friday before. Either way, the query is now active.
How many violations were reported?
The numbers come from school districts, not from Waymo.
- Austin, Texas: The Austin school district documented 19 distinct violations, Reuters reported. It issued numerous $300 tickets to Waymo.
- Atlanta: Atlanta public schools recorded six other violations, according to Reuters.
In a letter posted on NHTSA’s website, Austin’s district described one especially close call. NPR reported that a Waymo drove past a stopped bus “only moments after a student crossed in front of the vehicle.” The letter said the student was still in the road.
NHTSA has said it found a “large number” of reported incidents overall, Quartz reported. The agency pointed to problems when buses are loading or unloading students.
What is a recall query, in plain English?
A recall query is NHTSA’s way of double-checking a recall. The carmaker already admitted a defect and offered a fix. NHTSA then asks whether that fix really solved the safety problem.
It is not a fine. It is not a finding that Waymo broke the law. It is an investigation that can end in a few ways.
| Possible outcome | What it would mean |
|---|---|
| NHTSA closes the query | The agency is satisfied the fix, plus later updates, solved the problem. |
| Waymo files a new or expanded recall | Waymo pushes another software fix and reports it formally. |
| NHTSA pushes for more action | The agency can press for a stronger remedy if it finds the fix was not adequate. |
Because Waymo cars update over the air, a new “recall” usually means new software. Riders would not need to bring anything to a dealer.
Who is involved and who decides
| Who | Role | What they can do |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA (U.S. Department of Transportation) | Federal vehicle safety regulator | Investigate defects, review recall fixes, push for new recalls |
| Waymo (owned by Alphabet) | Builds and operates the robotaxis | Answer NHTSA, change software, file recalls |
| National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) | Independent crash investigator | Investigate and make safety recommendations; it does not issue fines |
| School districts and local police | Bus safety on the street | Record violations, issue tickets (Austin issued $300 tickets) |
| State regulators | Permits for driverless cars | Rules vary by state; they decide where robotaxis may operate |
Reuters reported the NTSB is also looking into the school bus incidents. That is a separate track from NHTSA’s query.
What Waymo says
Waymo is pushing back on the idea that the problem is ongoing. “We have made significant improvements to vehicle behavior around school buses and have received no citations since March,” the company said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
Waymo also said it will answer NHTSA’s questions. It said it looks forward to working with regulators on recall rules “for AV software that continues to learn and improve.”
Back in December 2025, Waymo’s chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, struck a similar tone with NPR. He said “holding the highest safety standards means recognizing when our behavior should be better.”
Waymo has long argued its cars are safer than human drivers overall. NPR noted that independent reviews by Ars Technica and the newsletter Understanding AI backed that claim. The school bus issue is one specific behavior, not a verdict on the whole system.
Also read: What’s Happening With Flock Cameras? Lawsuits, Rulings and City Votes
Why the scale matters
Small error rates add up when a fleet drives a lot. NPR reported that, according to NHTSA, Waymo cars passed 100 million miles of driving in July 2025. They were adding about 2 million miles a week at that time.
NHTSA said in 2025 that, given those miles, “the likelihood of other prior similar incidents is high.” That is a big reason regulators want to see the data, not just Waymo’s summary.
School bus stops are also a worst-case moment. Kids cross in front of the bus. Drivers behind and beside it often cannot see them. That is why the law is strict and why a software slip draws fast attention.
What this means for you
If you ride Waymo
Nothing changes today. The cars are still running, and there is no order to pull them off the road. If Waymo issues another fix, it will arrive as a software update. You do not need to do anything.
If something on a ride worries you, use the in-app help to contact Waymo rider support. Write down the date, time and location while it is fresh.
If you are a parent
Teach kids the same rule for every car, driverless or not. Wait for the bus driver’s signal. Look both ways before crossing, even when the stop arm is out. Never assume a car will stop.
If you see a car pass a stopped school bus
- Note the details: date, time, street, direction and the bus number.
- Note the car: plate number, color, and whether it was a driverless car.
- Tell the school district or the bus company. Many districts track these reports.
- Call local police on the non-emergency line. Call 911 if a child is hurt.
- Report a vehicle safety defect to NHTSA at NHTSA.gov if you think a car’s design or software caused it.
These are made-up examples to show how this could play out:
Dana in Austin drops her son at the bus stop. She sees a driverless car roll past the bus while the stop arm is out. She notes the time, the bus number and the car’s plate. She sends it to the district and files a report on NHTSA.gov. Her report becomes one more data point regulators can check.
Marcus in Phoenix rides Waymo to work twice a week. He reads about the query and wonders if he should stop. Nothing has been pulled from service, and any fix would come by software. He keeps riding, but he now knows how to reach rider support if something feels off.
Common mistakes when reading this story
- “Waymo was fined.” No. A recall query is an investigation. No federal penalty has been announced.
- “All Waymo cars are recalled again.” Not yet. NHTSA is reviewing the December 2025 recall. A new recall has not been ordered.
- “Children were hurt by the bus problem.” Waymo said in December 2025 that no injuries came from this issue. The January 2026 Santa Monica crash is a separate investigation.
- Mixing up 2,895 and “nearly 3,000.” Both describe the same fleet. Quartz gave the exact 2,895 figure from NHTSA’s file.
What happens next: key dates to watch
| What to watch | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Waymo’s formal answer to NHTSA | Waymo said it will respond once it receives the query. NHTSA has not published a public deadline. |
| Any new Waymo recall filing | Would show up on NHTSA’s recall site and tell us what changed in the software. |
| NTSB findings | The NTSB’s school bus review could include safety recommendations. |
| New citations from school districts | Waymo says none since March 2026. New tickets would weaken that claim. |
| Santa Monica crash probe | A separate NHTSA and NTSB review that could also shape rules near schools. |
Recall queries often take months. Do not expect a final answer before the end of this school year. That is a projection based on how these reviews usually move, not an NHTSA timeline.
FAQ
Is Waymo being shut down?
No. As of Nov. 10, 2026, no regulator has ordered Waymo to stop service over this issue. NHTSA is reviewing whether an earlier software fix worked.
How many Waymo cars are part of the investigation?
The query covers 2,895 vehicles with Waymo’s fifth-generation driving system, according to Quartz. Reuters described it as nearly 3,000 company-owned vehicles.
Did Waymo get tickets for passing school buses?
Yes. Reuters reported the Austin school district issued numerous $300 tickets after documenting 19 violations. Waymo says it has had no citations since March 2026.
Is it illegal for a self-driving car to pass a stopped school bus?
The same traffic laws apply. Passing a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm out is illegal for drivers across the U.S. That is why districts ticketed Waymo.
What is the difference between NHTSA and the NTSB?
NHTSA regulates vehicles and can push for recalls. The NTSB investigates crashes and makes recommendations, but it does not issue fines. Both are looking at Waymo.
Bottom line
Waymo already fixed its school bus software once. Regulators now want proof the fix worked, because most reported violations came afterward. Waymo says the problem has been quiet since March 2026. Until NHTSA finishes its query, the cars keep running, and the safest rule for families stays the same: never assume any car will stop.
Last reviewed: Nov. 10, 2026. This is a developing story. We will add a dated update at the top if NHTSA, Waymo or the NTSB announces new findings.
Sources: Reuters, “US opens new probe into Waymo vehicles over school bus safety violations” (Nov. 9, 2026), Quartz (Nov. 2026), NPR (Dec. 6, 2025), FOX 9 (Nov. 9, 2026), NHTSA: Report a Safety Problem.
Featured image: Waymo Jaguar I-Pace in San Francisco, 2023. Photo: Dllu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; edited by Nexgen Headlines.
