US safety board opens probe into Waymo robotaxis passing stopped school buses

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday it is opening an investigation into self-driving car company Waymo after its robotaxis illegally passed stopped school buses in Austin, Texas at least 19 times since the start of the school year.

The Alphabet unit in December recalled more than 3,000 vehicles to update the software that had caused vehicles to drive past stopped school buses that were loading or unloading students, increasing the risk of a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe in October into Waymo vehicles near school buses.