Waymo said it has become the first autonomous vehicle developer to complete independent, third-party audits of its safety case program and remote assistance operations, conducted by global certification body TÜV SÜD. The audits assessed the company’s adherence to key international standards and best practices for autonomous driving safety.
The review, carried out over several months, evaluated Waymo’s Safety Case Program and its Fleet Response (remote assistance) operations. TÜV SÜD confirmed that Waymo’s safety framework complies with the Autonomous Vehicle Safety Consortium (AVSC) Best Practice for Safety Case Assessment and the ISO 15026-2 international standard for systems and software assurance.
See also: Waymo to Expand Robotaxi Service to Detroit, Las Vegas and San Diego in 2026
A safety case provides formal evidence explaining how an autonomous system is validated as safe for deployment without a human driver. TÜV SÜD examined Waymo’s processes for developing and maintaining its safety case, including policy documentation, operational management, and implementation practices.
Waymo’s Fleet Response program — which enables human agents to provide contextual support to vehicles in complex or uncommon scenarios while maintaining full vehicle control by the Waymo Driver — also passed TÜV SÜD’s audit following a multi-day site inspection. The audit verified that Waymo’s remote assistance practices align with AVSC’s best practice guidelines.
“This independent audit is a fundamental part of our safety strategy,” said Mauricio Peña, Chief Safety Officer at Waymo. “It’s about verifying that our methods are robust, credible, and built in accordance with the highest standards.”
See also: Waymo’s Mawakana Calls for Greater Transparency on Safety from Autonomous Vehicle Developers
Bijoy Bhaskaran, Director of Mobility at TÜV SÜD, said the audit emphasized the importance of “procedural rigor and implementation evidence” to strengthen public trust. He added that “independent confirmation is what ultimately builds trust among the public and stakeholders.”
The audits follow TÜV SÜD’s previous independent review of Waymo’s First Responder program, which evaluated emergency response readiness in autonomous operations.