Waymo's Robotaxis Face Safety Investigations Over School Bus Incidents

Waymo's self-driving taxi service is currently under scrutiny from federal regulators following multiple incidents where its robotaxis failed to stop for school buses. These failures have raised significant concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicles, particularly in urban environments.

According to reports, Waymo has been expanding its service rapidly, providing around 450,000 robotaxi rides per week across several cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

However, incidents such as these have sparked investigations into the operational safety of their vehicles, as they navigate complex urban settings. The scrutiny comes at a critical time when Waymo plans to expand its service to 12 additional cities by 2026, which emphasizes the need for robust safety protocols and responses to these alarming incidents.

Experts believe that while technology has advanced, there are still edge cases where human judgment may outperform autonomous systems, underscoring the importance of continued evaluation of self-driving technology's capabilities and limitations.