This information is preliminary and subject to change.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been monitoring vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS) that are passing school buses stopped to load or unload passengers in violation of Texas state law.[1] One such incident occurred on January 12, 2026.
On January 12, 2026, about 7:55 a.m. central standard time, a 2024 Jaguar I-Pace sport utility vehicle, equipped with an ADS and operated by Waymo LLC, passed a 2025 Thomas Built school bus, operated by Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD), loading student passengers in Austin, Travis County, Texas.[2]
The school bus was traveling west and had stopped in the right lane of the 1700 block of East Oltorf Street to pick up student passengers (see figure). The school bus displayed strobing red lights and extended its two stop arms on the driver’s side.
At this location, East Oltorf Street is an east-west, non-divided roadway with two westbound through-lanes, two eastbound through-lanes, and an eastbound left-turn lane. The speed limit on East Oltorf Street is 35 mph. The weather was clear, the roadway was dry, and daylight conditions were present.
According to video evidence, the unoccupied ADS-equipped vehicle, traveling in the opposite direction of the school bus in the left eastbound through-lane, was the first vehicle to stop for the school bus.[3] After the ADS-equipped vehicle stopped, three passenger vehicles passed the stopped school bus in the adjacent left westbound lane.
Once stopped, the ADS-equipped vehicle contacted remote assistance with a prompt asking, “is this a school bus with active signals?”[4] After another passenger vehicle passed the school bus in the right eastbound through-lane, a remote assistance agent located in Novi, Michigan, replied “No” to the prompt. The ADS-equipped vehicle then resumed travel and passed the school bus while its stop arms were still extended. A passenger vehicle following the ADS-equipped vehicle similarly passed the school bus. In total, six vehicles passed the school bus while it was stopped. A crash did not occur.
Since the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year, Austin ISD has reported multiple incidents of Waymo ADS-equipped vehicles passing school buses that are stopped to load or unload student passengers. These reports include the January 12 incident as well as a January 14 incident, which involved a 2023 International school bus operating on a special-needs route.
Parties to the NTSB investigation include:
- Austin Independent School District
- Waymo LLC
All aspects of the January 12 incident, as well as the other similar incidents associated with Austin ISD school buses, remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar incidents.
In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defect Investigations opened a preliminary evaluation of these incidents on October 17, 2025 (PE25013). On December 10, 2025, Waymo informed NHTSA of a safety recall (25E-084) to update the software of 3,067 vehicles equipped with its 5th-generation ADS.
[1] The failure of motor vehicle drivers to stop or remain stopped when approaching a stopped school bus displaying visual stop signals is a violation of
Texas Transportation Code, Section 545.066.
[2] The vehicle was operated by Waymo’s 5th-generation ADS at the time of the crash. Waymo refers to this system as an SAE Level 4 highly automated system. As defined by SAE International, Level 4 automation allows a vehicle to handle all aspects of driving, monitoring, and safety-critical functions without human intervention, but only within specific, restricted geofenced areas or conditions. A driver is not required to take over, as the system is expected to manage failures and perform a safe stop autonomously. See
SAE J3016_202104, “Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles,” April 2021.
[3] The school bus was equipped with multiple external cameras including stop-arm cameras that capture images of vehicles that fail to stop or remain stopped for the school bus when the stop arms are extended for passenger loading or unloading.
[4] Remote assistance is information or advice provided to an ADS-equipped vehicle in driverless operation by a remotely located human. See
SAE J3016_202104, “Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles,” April 2021.
