Autonomous Vehicle Safety Crisis: Waymo vs Austin Police

This episode of School Bus Talk is a reaction to news reports from Austin, Texas where WAYMO's autonomous vehicle (AV) robot taxi service illegally passed school buses multiple times in the past several months. (See below the links to the two news reports) This controversy regarding WAYMO's AV's failing to stop for school buses that have their red lights flashing for student pick up and drop off started in Atlanta, Georgia in October 2025 when a citizen captured on video a WAYMO AV pass a school bus with red lights flashing. This captured video is featured in a School Bus Talk video. Please see link to that video below. Then, the Austin, TX Independent School District (ISD) and the Austin Police Department reported in November 2025 that WAYMO was captured on their onboard school bus video system illegally passing school buses 19 times in the recent past. As a result of the WAYMO failure in Austin, the school district requested that WAYMO suspend operations in the morning and afternoon on days when children are being transported to and from school. The Austin Police Chief Wayne Sneed supported the suspension of WAYMO service during critical morning and afternoon hours because of the danger that the AV's pose to child safety. Also, WAYMO is now seeking permission to expand its robotaxi service into other major Texas cities. The company promised a software update to fix the problem. Then in early December 2025 after the software update, the Austin ISD bus camera documented a 20th WAYMO AV violation of an AV passing a school bus with red lights flashing. Obviously the problem is NOT fixed. Austin Police Department requested again that WAYMO suspend operations in the morning and afternoon on school days. WAYMO told the Austin Assistant Chief of Police that "they disagreed with the Police Department's risk assessment" and again refused to suspend service on school day mornings and afternoons. The National Highway Transportation Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now investigating WAYMO related to the safety of its AV's passing school buses because of the videos from Atlanta and Austin.

LINKS TO NEWS REPORTS:
https://www.kxan.com/investigations/v...
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/waym...

LINK TO SCHOOL BUS TALK VIDEO ON INCIDENT IN ATLANTA, GA:
   • WAYMO ROBOT TAXI IGNORES SCHOOL BUS STOP S...  

Views and opinions expressed in all School Bus Talk videos are my own and do not reflect on my employer. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.

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Outro Music: Girosol by Quincas Moreira

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