My two Granddaughters have both been tutored by Dan of Four Seasons Driving School. They both told…read moreme that Dan was patient and provided good input to the areas that they worked on. They passed their driving tests and are now licensed California drivers. Thank you Dan, G'ma

Horrible service. I would never trust this company again with my child…read more I paid $200 toward a $475 agreement with Four Seasons for my daughter's behind-the-wheel driving instruction. During one of the lessons, the instructor took my minor daughter to his personal home for a "water bottle fill-up" and restroom break without my knowledge or consent. There was absolutely no reason my child should have been taken to a private residence during paid instructional time. When I confronted him, instead of acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, he became defensive and tried to justify it by claiming public locations were "unsafe." I later reviewed DMV guidelines, which clearly state instructors are not supposed to use lesson time for personal errands and that restroom breaks should occur at public locations. After losing trust in this instructor, I requested my daughter's certificate for the 2 hours already completed so we could continue with another school. He ignored my messages while clearly reading them, and only responded after I pointed out that the messages had been seen. He claimed he needed to "review his records" before sending the certificate, yet days later I still have no certificate and no resolution. I have proof, including location data and photos my daughter sent confirming she was taken to his home. I will be filing a formal complaint with the DMV and pursuing reimbursement through small claims court if necessary for services that were paid for but not properly fulfilled. Parents should seriously reconsider using this service.

Huge thanks to my instructor Kirt. He is nice and patient and willing to take me to Vallejo DMV to…read morepractice. I passed the road test with full points after 3 lessons.

We had a positive experience with Local driving school. My son's instructor Kirt was great! He was…read moreon time for the lesson each time we booked and gave great positive feedback on things he should work on before the next lesson. We decided to book the extra lesson for the DMV test. Kirt showed up on time and my son said he was able to get a great practice run in right before the test and he passed the first time. Highly recommend Kirt and Local driving school.

Fantastic folks. Both our kids used Ride On. Mark is great, he does the scheduling. And Patti is…read moreAMAZING! Both our kids loved working with her. She is super knowledgeable, positive, and knows how to prepare for the test! Super safe and just a lovely lovely person. Give them a call!

Cintya is an amazing, funny, patient and overall the best teacher one could ask for. I was nervous…read moreas all heck getting behind the wheel but she calmly guided me and we worked multiple times until I finally got my license! Mark also is amazing at explaining the process and price point making sure all is well ready to go. Couldn't have gone behind the wheel and on the road without them so I highly recommend this school!

I highly recommend Anna's Driving School instructor Rita Flanagan. On August 19, 2023 I had two…read morestrokes which left me partially disabled with limited use of my right arm and hand about four months ago my doctor recommended to me that she felt I should consider driving again and wrote me a prescription to attend a driving/cognitive "evaluation course to learn how to drive with adaptive controls. When I met Rita for the first time, she made me feel so welcome and comfortable and confident with learning how to drive a vehicle safely with adaptive controls and after several lessons with Rita, she felt confident that I could safely drive a vehicle and pass the DMV driving with adapter controls installed on my cars. On June 5, 2025 I was given an appointment date with the DMV for a driving test with an examiner and I had a successful outcome I " PASSED" the driving test not driving a vehicle for one year and 10 months.The knowledge and experience that Rita help develop within myself allowed me to pass this driving test and I made one mistake. I turned too wide when departing the DMV parking lot and I got dinged for that but the DMV examiner wrote on his supplemental driving performance evaluation score sheet I am a very safe driver thank you so much, Rita you are an amazing, professional, and caring, helpful instructor. Anyone needing to learn how to drive with adapter controls or just a first time driving student. I would highly recommend Rita Flanagan for all your driving needs.!!!!!

On the website they make it seem like you can choose your instructor but that's not the case. You…read morereach with your information and then random people text you. It was jarring. My instructor was good during the lesson but on 3 occasions tried to reschedule the day before, sometimes the day of, and it wasn't for emergencies. They also told me that most people master how to turn on the first lesson despite this being my second lesson, which hurt my confidence (I think this instructor was socially awkward) I also had a different instructor who completely forgot about our appointment and then when I tried to reschedule it they claimed I needed to pay them a "cancelation fee" over venmo. There is nothing like that on the site and I found that weird. I'm not naming any names because I don't want anyone specifically in trouble, I think most people have had good experiences with Ann's and these specific instructors. Your mileage may vary. Edit: no I am positive this is the right school.

Sam is fantastic! He provided great tips for my son. I am grateful he was so nice and patient.read more

Disappointed with Sam, very inconsistent returning calls. We get it, you're a driving instructor;…read moretherefore, you can't always return calls promptly, but you prefer texts? Sure hope you're safely texting and not driving while texting. Furthermore, he only takes cash or checks, what's that about? If owners prefer cash only, it's easier to shield from income taxes, and they can report less earnings than they actually are & pay less income taxes. Things that make you go hmmmm??? He also has no decal displayed on his vehicle indicating "student driver", or company logo...absolutely nothing. Search on Yelp for other driving schools, highly recommend going with https://coastlineacademy.com. They offer feasible package deals, whereas Sam's rates are highway robbery (cash or check with no receipt provided). Coastline Academy takes all major credit cards. Coastline offers many instructors to choose from and flexible hours to fit your teenager's busy schedule. The vehicles are all decked out with their company logo/advertisement, very safe. The signage alone makes others aware there's a rookie student driver, so beware. They also send you a lesson report afterwards, so parents are aware of the grade, along with the child. It provides both positive feedback and constructive criticism, something this instructor doesn't understand. Be safe and see you on Yelp (SYOY)!

I had a great experience learning to drive with Druh. From the very beginning, she was calm,…read morepatient, and extremely clear in her explanations, which made a huge difference for my confidence behind the wheel. Each lesson was well structured and focused on real test conditions, safety, and good driving habits, not just passing the exam, but becoming a responsible driver. I really appreciated how Druh corrected mistakes in a constructive and encouraging way and helped me stay calm, even in stressful situations. Thanks to her guidance and support, I passed my driving test and felt truly prepared going into it. I highly recommend Druh to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, professional, and supportive driving instructor.

Signing up for drivers training for my son was one of those experiences that I was putting in the…read moreback of my mind and one of those things that I was anxious about. As soon as I made my first phone, call to schedule driving lessons for my son, I was put at ease. They were very helpful on the phone and set up dates for driving lessons and they even pick him up at school or at the house or at his job if he were working. They made it really easy for parents who work and can't always drive their kids to where they need to be during work hours. My son was able to complete the required driving hours and they even set up the drivers test with the DMV. Kirt was my son's instructor and my son had a good time learning from him. My son passed his drivers test and is on his way to get his license! Thank you Kirt for all your guidance and time with him!!!

Simply the best you can get…read more Pay the tiny bit extra and know that your son or daughter will be getting EXPERT instruction in a REAL FULL SIZED car with a caring and knowledgeable coach. Our daughter was super nervous, and David was just the greatest. He empowered her to make safe decisions, built her confidence, and offered advanced instruction with genuine kindness and caring. Bills Defensive Driving School is the best in the SF Bay Area by a long shot!

When I first booked the behind the wheel for my child with Lindsey, I made an agreement for 3…read morelessons package at a certain price. Because I was uneasy paying up front for all 3 lessons, Lindsey said I could pay for each lesson by check at the time of my appointment. This sounded great. Bill ended up being my child's driving instructor for the first lesson. Like other people have said, he did have his hand on the steering wheel most of the time, not allowing my child to have their own control. I thought this was weird, but honestly, I just needed the lesson for dmv purposes. Fast forward to several months later and I try to book the last 2 lessons. Because it's a new year now, the male on the phone said the price had gone up. I understand. The price went up. But I already had made a pre existing agreement with Lindsey, so my initial quoted prices should be locked in and honored. I already had the first lesson. The male on the phone was very insistent that even though I had spoken with Lindsey on pricing, I still have to pay the new increased price. Now how is this fair? I'm still waiting to hear back from him...so we shall see how great of a company they are....or how money hungry they really are.

Oh my gosh, Jacqueline was so incredibly kind, encouraging and supportive with my teen driver! I…read morehave already recommended her many times over to people I know. My daughter had some fantastic lessons with Jacqueline this past summer which helped to polish and round out her skills before her in person driving test. I will always be grateful to Jacqueline, not only for her impeccable teaching skill, but for her beautiful, kind, and connecting spirit. The idea of getting in the car and driving with a stranger certainly can be daunting but having the opportunity to see some of Jacqueline's teaching videos on youtube really helped us feel comfortable in choosing her as a teacher. It also was cool to see her with her daughter in one of the videos. It made me feel, here is someone who really understands. Thank you again, so much!

My son received the first 2 driving sessions with Carlos and the last 2 sessions with Jacky, the…read moreowner. Appointments were easy to book online and we received reminders about the appointments. The pickup locations were also flexible, and we chose pick ups at our home. Both instructors gave good verbal feedback, and as the parent I received email summaries detailing what my son did well and what he could do to improve. I especially appreciated Jacky's teaching style, as she was a former educator and she knew how to give positive encouragement and support each student's needs. I felt she genuinely cares about her student drivers and wants to help them succeed. Her positive attitude made my son felt comfortable and more confident with each session. When she learned that we had to reschedule the driving test to the Oakland-Claremont DMV as the El Cerrito DMV (our preferred location) was closed for renovations, and we were concerned about the busy environment of the Oakland-Claremont location, she did not hesitated to offer to drive there so that my son can be familiar with the area. She exceeded my expectations and I can recommend her highly.

Mona was incredibly sweet and fun to drive with. I had a lot fear of driving and she helped me get…read moreover it with ease and a lot of patience. She made me feel comfortable and confident. She is also very reliable and consistent. I really enjoyed my lessons with her and would highly recommend her to anyone learning to drive.

As a 33 year old who had never driven before, I was very very anxious, but learning how to drive…read morefrom Miss Mona and Christian eased a lot of my apprehensions away. They are very hands-on in their approach; each lesson they take lasts for 2 hours and I was behind the wheel from the very first one! Both instructors know what they're doing, and they're really good at their jobs. Since you're spending 2 long hours in the car with someone, I found it immensely helpful that both Miss Mona and Christian are also interesting people who I had good fun talking to! I was so grateful to them for training me well enough to pass my behind the wheel drivers test on the very first try - to prepare for it I also got to practice with the instructors around the DMV which helped me gain confidence for the real test. I cannot recommend this driving school enough - they were nothing short of sterling in the services delivered and they made learning a new skill fun and memorable for me! Thank you SO much Miss Mona and Christian, you all are the best!

Now, I have to let you know that I worked at NIAD back in the day and met my husband there. He…read morestill works there and my leaving and time there was brutal! But, boy have times changed! I love coming here for the art, the comraderie of the staff and the clients are full of love, hugs and joy! I have bought art there, I have bought jewelry there, and we went to NYC to be present with one of their artists who had a piece in the Whitney Bienniel! I was hired to be the personal secretary to Dr. Katz who founded Creative Growth in Oakland, Creativity Explored in San Francisco, and Creativity Unlimited in San Jose (I believe they closed a while back). I was at the first conference of Art and Disabilities held at the center with representatives from the four centers and others. Some came as far away as Canada and Minnesota. At that time, Creative Growth was the star of the group and we all aspired to have their success. Well, NIAD has found it. The idea for the center started after the mental health facilities in CA were closed by Ronald Reagan. But before the closure, Florence, his wife and artist, would drive up with art supplies so that the people could create art. A lot of the clients were relocted to the bay area and he opened the center for them to create art. Eli was passionate about the clients and felt that they had a right to create and he created a center where that's possible. I'm sure that he is beaming over everything that NIAD has become - an inclusive, welcoming place where artists get a chance for creative expression and can earn money from what they make. Good job for keeping it up guys!

I came to NIAD in November 2023 believing I had finally found my place…read more I am an artist and a small business owner. I have spent over 10 years trying to build my own creative business, and within my first month at NIAD I sold a hand-knitted piece I had made there. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged somewhere. I could make art, sell my work, and be myself. For about a year, everything felt right. That changed in November 2024 when a new client joined the program. Almost immediately I sensed something was off about this person. My gut told me he was going to be trouble, even though I couldn't name exactly why yet. Over the following months a pattern emerged: he would instigate conflict, encourage others to exclude me, and single me out -- sometimes right in front of staff. At a fundraiser event I watched him high-five every single person in the room and deliberately skip me. I began to question my own reality. Was I imagining it? Was something wrong with me? The first serious incident happened around March 2025. A staff member named Amber was already emotionally distressed due to the recent death of a former artist at the program. I made an offhand joke -- the kind I make regularly, it's just part of my personality -- and it landed badly given her grief. The situation escalated. The client I had been having problems with was sitting right beside her and actively fanned the flames, instigating the conflict. Amber told me she hated me and that I was a bad person. I was humiliated and I responded with words I regret. I take responsibility for my part. But when it was over, I felt blamed for the entire incident. I was out of the program for several days. What troubled me most was not the conflict itself -- it was the complete failure of leadership to address what had been happening. Director Ember Avalos and program head never meaningfully intervened in the months of ongoing exclusion and instigation I experienced. There was no acknowledgment that another client had been deliberately targeting me. No real support. When I raised my concerns formally, complaints were filed with multiple agencies including RCEB, DSS Community Care Licensing, and Disability Rights California. Every investigation came back with no violations found. I have childhood trauma and a history of feeling like I don't belong. A program specifically serving people with disabilities should understand that sustained social exclusion -- left unaddressed by staff and leadership -- causes real harm. I tried to make it work for over a year. I left worse off than when I arrived. This place is not only unsafe, but it caused a lot of trauma and failed to protect artists. There is bullying, emotional abuse, and financial abuse going on in this facility. I would not recommend.