Waymo’s autonomous taxis have been providing public rides in Austin, Texas since March. After safety incidents involving school buses, officials from the Austin school district have urged the company to suspend robotaxi services during school drop-off periods.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently investigating Waymo due to reports that its robotaxis have unlawfully overtaken school buses on at least 19 occasions, as reported by Reuters.

This week, the NHTSA notified Waymo regarding the commencement of its investigation into the autonomous vehicles’ noncompliance with traffic regulations related to school buses. The correspondence also sought additional information about the company’s self-driving technology.

An initial probe was initiated in October by the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) after acquiring footage of a Waymo robotaxi circumventing a school bus in Atlanta while it was discharging children, with its stop sign deployed and lights flashing. The agency is now broadening its investigation.

Waymo announced it deployed a software patch on November 17. Nonetheless, in a public letter, the Austin Independent School District pointed out that five of the 19 occurrences took place after that date.

“One of these violations underscores the critical risk posed by Waymo’s unlawful conduct: a Waymo automated vehicle was documented passing a stationary school bus just moments after a student crossed in front of it, while the student was still on the road,” the Austin School District stated in a letter to Waymo dated Nov. 20. “The vehicle then continued through a crosswalk and an intersection, where all other cars were halted.”

The Austin School District has requested that Waymo suspend its robotaxi services from 5:20 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., which are the periods when children are usually picked up and dropped off for school.

The ODI sent its own correspondence to Waymo not long after, expressing its awareness of the situation and asking whether Waymo intended to adhere to the request to stop operations during those hours.

As per a report from TechCrunch, Waymo asserts that its update has enhanced the safety of its robotaxis near school buses. However, it seems the company does not plan to follow the Austin School District’s request.