Waymo's School Bus Training Program Failed, Safety Issues Persist

What Happened Austin Independent School District entered into a partnership with Waymo to address a critical safety issue: the company’s autonomous vehicles were failing to recognize when school buses had activated their stop signs and flashing lights. The collaboration aimed to provide Waymo with real-world data on school bus operations, including lighting patterns, environmental conditions, and bus configurations. Despite this direct training approach and a December 2025 software recall affecting over 3,000 Waymo vehicles equipped with Jaguar I-Pace platforms, the safety violations have continued.