CBS Texas reports that Waymo has launched a pilot program in Austin aimed at sharing pothole data collected by its autonomous vehicles with city and state transportation officials. The program, launched in partnership with Waze, is designed to help cities identify and repair road hazards more efficiently.

The report notes that the initiative comes as Waymo continues expanding operations across Texas and other major U.S. cities, despite ongoing questions surrounding the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicles in complex, unpredictable environments.

During coverage of the program, CBS Texas highlighted broader concerns related to Waymo’s safety record and past incidents involving robotaxis interacting with emergency responders, school buses, and active crime scenes.

Witherite Law Group Managing Attorney John Nohinek, who tracks autonomous vehicle cases nationwide, shared particular concern about how these vehicles respond in real-world emergencies.

“That’s great if, in fact, that was the case and they were very lucky,” Nohinek said, referencing a recent incident involving first responders. “But what’s going to happen next time?”

Nohinek also pointed to troubling incidents involving autonomous vehicles in other cities.

“The Waymo had a passenger, drove past emergency vehicles and into an active crime scene,” he said. “They have failed to stop and pass school buses. Failure to yield the right of way — both to vehicles and pedestrians, more importantly — is very concerning.”

Federal officials have echoed similar concerns. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating incidents involving Waymo robotaxis failing to yield to school buses in Austin, while U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has called a series of recent autonomous vehicle incidents “obviously unacceptable.”

Read the full story at CBS Texas.