Waymo robotaxi fails to stop for school bus in Austin Texas

Federal investigators have launched a probe into Waymo after a remote operator’s error caused a self-driving taxi to illegally pass a stopped school bus in Austin, marking the latest in a series of safety violations involving the company’s autonomous fleet.

While the autonomous driving technology is marketed as a way to eliminate human error, this specific incident reveals a “human-in-the-loop” failure. The vehicle did exactly what it was supposed to do: it stopped and asked for help. But the safety net failed when the remote human operator gave it the green light to proceed illegally.

The incident

The incident in question took place on January 12, 2026, about 7:55 a.m. Central Standard Time. According to the NTSB, a 2024 Jaguar I-Pace sport utility vehicle, equipped with an ADS and operated by Waymo LLC, passed a 2025 Thomas Built school bus, operated by Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD), loading student passengers in Austin, Travis County, Texas.

What makes this situation chilling is that, according to the report, the autonomous vehicle stopped and asked its human safety operator: “Is this a school bus with active signals?” The human remote agent responded “No”.

Waymo has integrated a remote human operator into its safety protocols to help manage edge cases like this stopped bus situation. The autonomous vehicle performed the safety stop according to safety rules, but the issue with the human operator remotely making the decision illustrates a geographical disconnect with the autonomous operations.

In addition, according to the NTSB report, six vehicles passed the school bus. However, the Waymo vehicle was the first in line to stop, then chose to proceed. The Waymo vehicle effectively signaled to the other human drivers that it was safe (or legal) to continue.

This incident and similar incidents involving Austin ISD school buses remain under investigation as the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar incidents.

The legal backdrop

Under Texas Transportation Code Section 545.066, drivers (and by extension, the entities operating autonomous fleets) are required to remain stopped until the bus signals are deactivated. Because the Waymo vehicle was the first to stop and then chose to move, it arguably “led” a string of other human drivers to follow suit, compounding the safety risk.

In September, WXIA-TV in Atlanta aired a video showing a Waymo illegally passing a stopped school bus. The Robot Report reported on this incident as well.

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