Waymo has caught the eye of the Nationwide Transportation Security Board because the federal company launched an official investigation into the corporate for its robotaxis improperly passing college buses in Austin, Texas. The NTSB mentioned on X that it might “study the interplay between Waymo automobiles and faculty buses stopped for loading and unloading college students.”
The newest federal probe stems from a preliminary analysis by the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration that regarded into how Waymo reacts to stopped college buses within the Texas metropolis. That report led to Waymo’s voluntary software program recall in December. Nonetheless, the college district mentioned in a memo that the robotaxis had been seen repeating the identical offense days after the software program replace.
As for the NTSB investigation, an company spokesperson advised the Austin American-Statesman that its “investigators will journey to Austin to collect info on a sequence of incidents by which the automated automobiles didn’t cease for loading or unloading college students.” In response to an NTSB spokesperson, a preliminary report can be out inside 30 days, however the closing report will take anyplace between 12 and 24 months.
In response, Mauricio Peña, chief security officer for Waymo, mentioned in a press release to a number of information retailers that “there have been no collisions within the occasions in query, and we’re assured that our security efficiency round college buses is superior to human drivers,” including that the investigation can be “a possibility to supply the NTSB with clear insights into our safety-first strategy.”
