AUSTIN, Texas — Waymo robotaxis were recently recalled because of a software error due to safety concerns during school hours, but according to the Austin Independent School District, the vehicles are still having problems stopping for school buses.
A school district spokesperson said they are still seeing safety violations around their school buses even after the recall.
“We can confirm that we now have a total of 24 violations committed by Waymo vehicles. The additional violations occurred on December 11th, 12th, and 19th, the last day of school before the winter break, with the most recent violation occurring on January 12th. Austin ISD again asks that Waymo cease operations in the mornings and afternoons during school days when our students are using our school buses,” the spokesperson stated.
A spokesperson from Waymo said they had updated their robotaxis after the software error was noticed during the recall, along with meeting with Austin ISD officials to discuss data collection for conditions related toward the buses. The company also touted their commitment to safety and their record.
“Our vehicles have 12x fewer crashes involving injuries to pedestrians compared to human benchmarks and we’re invested in demonstrating exceptional driving performance around school bus interactions that exceeds human-driven vehicles. We have met with Austin ISD, including on a collaborative data collection of various light patterns and conditions and are reviewing these learnings. We have seen material improvement in our performance since our software update,” the spokesperson stated.
According to a previous Spectrum News report, Waymo robotaxis had received at least 20 traffic violations related to Austin ISD school buses as of Nov. 20, 2025. Vehicles must come to a complete stop when a school bus is stopped, according to Texas law.
According to the Baldwin Elementary School website, an Austin ISD school, the students are allowed to enter the building at 7:15 a.m., but it is recommended that they arrive at 6:50 a.m. However, according to a report by the Austin American Statesman, Austin ISD has asked Waymo to stop servicing near the schools from 5:20 to 9:30 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m.
It is currently unknown if Waymo will do another voluntary recall. According to Waymo, they plan on expanding to five more large cities throughout this year including Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.