Waymo to issue recall after reports of self-driving cars illegally passing stopped school buses in Texas

Waymo is issuing a voluntary recall of its self-driving cars after Texas officials reported at least 19 incidents of the vehicles passing stopped school buses.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday asked Waymo to explain the Texas incidents by Jan. 20. 

The agency opened an investigation in October into how Waymo vehicles behave around school buses, Reuters reported.

“While we are incredibly proud of our strong safety record showing Waymo experiences twelve times fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians than human drivers, holding the highest safety standards means recognizing when our behavior should be better,” Waymo Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña told FOX Business in an email. 

US INVESTIGATING WAYMO AFTER FOOTAGE CAPTURES SELF-DRIVING CARS ILLEGALLY MOVING PAST SCHOOL BUSES IN TEXAS

Peña said the recall will address issues of “appropriately slowing and stopping,” noting the company believes the problem stems from a software issue.

“We will continue analyzing our vehicles’ performance and making necessary fixes as part of our commitment to continuous improvement,” Peña added.

WAYMO LANDS FIRST PERMIT TO TEST SELF-DRIVING CARS IN NEW YORK CITY

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) told FOX Business earlier this week that Waymo vehicles had been cited 20 times as of Monday and that the company refused to halt operations near schools.

Footage provided by AISD shows at least 19 incidents since the school year began in which Waymo vehicles traveled past stopped school buses with flashing red lights and stop arms deployed, while pedestrians were visibly walking in nearby streets and crosswalks.

WAYMO RECALLS 1,200 DRIVERLESS VEHICLES FOR SOFTWARE UPDATE

The videos show that, in some cases, Waymo vehicles initially slowed or stopped for school buses before proceeding through.

AISD reported five incidents in November after Waymo had implemented software updates, Reuters reported, citing a Nov. 20 letter posted by NHTSA. 

FOX Business’ Bonny Chu contributed to this report.