Driverless Taxi Service Bound For Pittsburgh Posed School Bus Threats

PITTSBURGH, PA — An autonomous taxi service planning to enter the Pittsburgh market has had vehicles recalled after they drove past school buses in several cities that had their stop arms extended and/or red lights flashing.

Waymo is testing its vehicles in the city right now, initially using drivers as it validates its technology on Pittsburgh's roads in the coming months with a public launch planned for an as-yet determined date in the near future. The company currently also is testing its vehicles in the downtown core of Philadelphia.

Since May, Atlanta Public Schools has reported six cases in which Waymo’s autonomous vehicles drove past school buses with their stop arms extended, most recently on Nov. 11, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. No injuries occurred, but district spokesperson Seth Coleman told the newspaper the instances are dangerous for kids loading and unloading.

In Texas, Waymo received more than 20 bus safety violations from the Austin Independent School District this school year, KEYE-TV reported.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicated on its website that Waymo voluntarily recalled certain automated driving systems that has software that could cause vehicles to pass a stopped school bus even when red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended.

According to the NHTSA, Waymo is aware of 12 citations related to the behavior of its vehicles between Sept. 25 and Nov. 15.

Waymo says it has updated its software to prevent the school bus glitch issue to recur.