While recent headlines suggest autonomous vehicles (AVs) are making significant strides toward widespread deployment, school transportation leaders continue to focus on one of the most challenging and consequential questions facing the industry:

Can driverless vehicles safely operate around stopped school buses and students?

In recent weeks, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced several actions aimed at accelerating automated vehicle deployment, including the development of the nation's first AV performance standards, new guidance for developers, and a commercial exemption allowing Amazon-owned Zoox to begin operating its robotaxis without traditional controls such as steering wheels or pedals. Meanwhile, new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found Waymo's driverless vehicles were involved in fewer crashes than comparable human-driven vehicles.

NHTSA's latest announcements represent one of the agency's most comprehensive pushes yet to modernize how autonomous vehicles are evaluated and deployed.

The agency said it is working with industry partners to establish the first nationwide performance standards for automated vehicles, streamline exemption processes for companies testing new vehicle designs, and reduce regulatory barriers while maintaining safety oversight.

At the same time, Zoox received the first commercial federal exemption allowing a purpose-built robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals to carry paying passengers. The exemption permits deployment under enhanced federal oversight while the company continues reporting safety performance to regulators.

In many ways, regulation is finally catching up to technology, as federal regulators change their focus from overseeing research and testing to preparing autonomous vehicles for commercial deployment.

Why School Transportation is Watching Closely

The regulatory announcements were accompanied by encouraging safety data, though the findings leave important questions unanswered for school transportation.

According to new IIHS research highlighted by the Governors Highway Safety Association, Waymo's driverless vehicles experienced fewer crashes than comparable human-driven vehicles across several crash types, adding to a growing body of research suggesting autonomous driving systems may reduce certain kinds of collisions.

While the findings suggest autonomous vehicles are making meaningful safety gains, they don't fully answer the question school transportation professionals care about most. Driving through everyday traffic is one thing. Safely navigating a school bus stop where federal and state laws require motorists to respond to flashing warning lights, stop arms, crossing children, and rapidly changing conditions is another.

As autonomous vehicle deployment expands, school transportation leaders continue to stress that protecting students during loading and unloading must remain a central consideration as regulators shape the next generation of AV policy.

The challenge is whether autonomous vehicles — not just robotaxis — can consistently respond to these unique, but very common, operating environments, including:

• Stopped school buses with extended stop arms
• Flashing red warning lights
• Children crossing unexpectedly
• Crossing guards directing traffic
• Loading and unloading zones where behavior is often unpredictable

Those scenarios have already been tested in the real world. Earlier this year, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that a Waymo autonomous vehicle illegally passed a stopped school bus because a human safety operator failed to intervene after the vehicle's automated driving system incorrectly assessed the situation.

The investigation highlighted both the challenges autonomous systems face around school buses and the continued importance of human oversight as the technology evolves.

More recently, a U.S. Senate report also questioned how autonomous vehicle companies describe their technology, alleging that some developers have understated the role remote operators play in supporting driverless vehicles. The findings renewed debate over transparency and what constitutes a truly autonomous system.

NHTSA Looks Ahead to the Next Phase of AV Policy

During the 2026 National School Transportation Association Annual Meeting, Michelle Atwell, who leads NHTSA, told school transportation leaders that the agency is actively monitoring how electric and autonomous vehicles interact with school buses.

"I will tell you NHTSA is very, very engaged in discussions with those manufacturers, and we are working tirelessly with them to try to figure out what [the next iteration of AV policy] looks like," Atwell said.

Her comments came as she updated attendees on NHTSA's school bus safety initiatives under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including completed guidance on illegal school bus passing and ongoing reviews of technologies designed to reduce illegal passing, driver education materials, and the relationship between illegal passing and other school transportation safety issues.

As regulators continue developing national AV performance standards, transportation leaders will be watching closely to see whether those standards address real-world school transportation scenarios.

As autonomous vehicles become more common on public roads, it’s imperative to ask questions such as:

• How are school bus interactions being incorporated into AV testing?
• Will future federal performance standards include requirements for recognizing stop arms and school bus warning lights?
• How should districts prepare as autonomous vehicles become more common in their communities?
• What role can pupil transportation professionals play in helping developers understand school bus operations?

Ultimately, the success of autonomous vehicles will not be judged solely by lower crash rates or commercial deployments. For school transportation, the true benchmark will be whether automated driving systems can consistently recognize school buses, obey stop arms, and protect children during the most safety-critical moments of the school day.