The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Monday that it has opened an investigation into Waymo, following an incident involving one of the company’s robotaxis.
In early October, the NHTSA said it saw footage of a Waymo autonomous vehicle maneuvering around a stopped school bus that was unloading children in Atlanta, Georgia.
The US federal safety regulators’ Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) stated that it will investigate the performance of Waymo’s self-driving software around stopped school buses, how the system is designed to comply with rules related to the buses, and more.
The NHTSA added that, based on its engagement with Waymo so far, the “likelihood of other prior similar incidents is high.”
In 2023, the agency probed reports that Waymo’s vehicles were struggling with roadway barriers such as gates and chains in low-speed situations.
The findings led to a recall in 2024, in which Waymo addressed the issue with a software update.
Waymo announced on Monday that it has already issued software updates to its fleet to improve performance.