Instructor Aaron is very patient and teaches well, from people who've never touched the wheel, or someone who's about to take the test. He is calm and collected and that puts the student at ease and less worried. After learning with him, confidence in driving abilities are sure to rise, and truly I recommend having your driving hours at Bolsa Driving School. read more

I encourage you to please read and hear me out. I have never given a 1 star rating. Even after going to the Emergency Room at a restaurant because they had peanuts in their food without warning. I still gave them 4 stars! But this place? This is it. This is my first ever 1 star and hopefully I can show you why they RIGHTFULLY deserve it. I believe Bolsa Driving School is extremely unprofessional, shady, and inferior to all other driving schools around the area. Don't believe me? Research it yourself on Yelp! There is almost no other driving school that has as low ratings as this one! Most of the 5 stars come from ONE specific instructor who has evidently quit (his name was Robert Lane). So really, you're taking your chances at having a horrid instructor and securing your opportunity to work with a roach (the lady at the front desk). My time with my driving instructor isn't what angered me the most. (Although they were TERRIBLE but more about that later). The person running the business is who I am most annoyed by.. My dad and I came in to cancel the rest of my driving lessons because they were simply unqualified on an ASTRONOMICAL LEVEL to teach ANYONE. We asked her to confirm that we're still able to go to the appointment that she "made" for us. She said yes. Well guess what? When I went to check the DMV site, I had no appointments under my name. I used my number, my dad's number, and the driving school's number. I saw absolutely no appointment at all. I called her and she said she'd text me a paper of the confirmation. If my appointment can't even be found on the database, what good is a supposed "paper". How is that supposed to confirm my appointment? My driving instructor was aggressive, condescending, and terrible at educating. Keep in mind, it was my first ever time behind the wheel. I had no experience at all. My first day driving with my instructor made me more anxious and fearful of driving than before I got behind the wheel. The first few minutes I got into the car, my driving instructor was teaching me how to turn the wheel. As soon as I turned the wheel (keep in mind the car was on park and on park brake) they exclaimed how I shouldn't turn the wheel right now as I could hit the house we're parked next to and "boom you kill 10 people". Another time, I stopped at a stop sign and was about to go straight. They told me not to turn into a certain street because "they (a car) will hit me and I will die". As a first time driver, who the hell wants images of death and killing someone in their head? My 2nd day was also quite terrible. I remember I couldn't make a turn very well. They had screamed "shit!" when I did (unprofessional) and asked if I was okay. I told them no I couldn't do turns. They threw an adult tantrum at this. They said that I had 2 hours of practice today and 2 hours the other day (Wrong. We had just started. If anything, we had about 1 and a half hours of practice as we weren't driving the whole time.). They asked "how would it make me feel as a driving instructor that my own student can't do turns?". I literally asked them "wait, are your feelings hurt?" Which they yelled back at me "yes!". I couldn't help but laugh. I seriously felt I was being pranked. Was I in a relationship with my instructor or something???? Perhaps they should have focused on being an educator as opposed to a tyrant. All in all yea this place is wrecked. Go somewhere else. Just because I'm younger doesn't mean I'm deserving of the unprofessionalism shown from this school. I noticed all the times my driving instructor had me pick up the older students, he was never nice with them and never raised his voice. For me though? I'd rather talk to Betsy Devos about financial aid. At the end of the day, I am still a paying CUSTOMER and you are a BUSINESS. read more

The only redeeming thing about this place is Robert Lane, who was my second instructor. Let's talk about my first instructor though. I went here because my friends did and it was the cheapest I could find - big mistake. The instructor Tan was rude and impatient the whole time, despite me making it VERY clear verbally to him that I have no prior experience. If I could write a book about all the unprofessional actions by the instructor I definitely would. For one thing, he took five minutes to go over how the car works with me - brake & gas pedals, left & right signals, etc. That was it . Didn't clarify with me that for a u-turn, you need to make a complete rotation of the wheel or that to make a left or right turn, only rotate the wheel semi. All he said was "turn, release." My boyfriend and friend had to clarify turns with me. Learned more from them. Also, considering that it's my first time driving, he didn't have me practice in residential areas to build up my confidence but rather made me drive on the streets right away to drop off the student that came before me; didn't even give me a chance to practice turns, etc before heading out. He talked on the phone a lot. He also had a tendency to yell at you if you make a mistake the first time; when I was struggling with turns, we took a break & he told me "I have been an instructor for 10 years and have had 6,000 students. The kids I teach understand it within 20 minutes and I have been teaching you for 30 so why don't you understand? Out of all the students, I have only hit 1 out of 100 - don't make it you." He also questioned if I was a rebellious child because I had "trouble following instructions." It's not trouble following directions, it's trouble trying to relax when he didn't teach me shit before shoving me out into the streets and kept yelling at me. Used hand signal often rather than saying "left/right" so had to look at his signals and when I did, got yelled at. Kept telling me "you do this you fail at DMV test ok?" When he finally decided not to be a complete crazy maniac he said "Why you drive like this the beginning so I didn't have to yell at you?" UHHHH because I didn't know how to drive and was forced to go into the streets right away? Also, had me pick up the student after me when I still had 23 minutes left of lessons. EXTREMELY unprofessional and he made my driving experience extremely stressful and nerve wracking. read more

I'm not sure why this place has bad reviews. But they were great. They texted to confirm times and I ended up having to reschedule quite often which was really rude on my part. But they were always super nice about it and texted other available dates. Her instructor, ken, was professional and polite. My daughter took three lessons with them she just completed her last one today. They charged almost half what to every other driving school charges. Totally recommend read more

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. Just recently, my teen daughter took the class . Instructor is bad and lazy. Please don't send your kids to take driving lesson at this place. Unprofessional instructors, lying owner and messy system. It's cheap but it's not worth it. As a parents, think about safety for your kids first. Keep away from this horrible business. read more

I just finished my three day behind the wheel training (for $180), and my instructor was very helpful and supportive. I believe that the price is much much better than other places around, and these other reviews are too harsh. My instructor gave constructive criticism and praised when I was doing well. He also gave me the option of driving for the whole 2 hours or taking 10 minute breaks after driving for 30 mins, which was very nice. On 2 days I chose to drive the whole 2 hours, but on one day I chose to take the breaks. When we did take breaks, he asked what I wanted to work on and what he thought I should work on. The only negative thing that I have to say is that I drove in an older model Toyota, and the AC was not working (take into account that it is in fact mid August). All in all, a superb school to get your training! In my experience, the instructor himself picked me up, I just had to drive to the other student's house when my lesson was finished. I'm pretty sure this had to do with his schedule and whatnot. read more

I would definitely recommend this place! I had a great instructor and got my all my hours in 3 days and it was a very easy process and it taught me a lot to prepare me for my license test! This is definitely a good place to go for only $180 for your 6 hours! read more

After having my confidence to drive completely battered by my previous driving instructor, I had a lot to prove once I enrolled with Bolsa. When they told me I would only be training for 6 hours , 2 hours per day and then I would be off to take my driving test, I was a nervous wreck. Due to the fact that I trained for months with my last driving instructor and was deemed by her, "unteachable and unprepared", how would I even be able to acquire enough experience in 3 days to qualify to be ready? However, my instructor, Vu, prepared me well. During my lessons with him he told me that I was prepared exam and reassured me that I was a good driver. Because of his praise, I did not want to let him down and put my all into the three days he taught me. Today a different instructor took me and two others to the DMV and had us practice the exact test route before letting us take the actual test, which was extremely helpful. After I passed my driving test he even gave me money to buy myself lunch to wait for the others to finish testing. :-) professional, extremely kind, patient, and understanding! Thank - You Bolsa Driving School!! read more

Terrible experience. I was first learning how to drive in high school and I'll admit that driving is uncomfortable for me. I get anxious behind the wheel because of a fear of car accidents. Because of this, I made mistakes but nothing that would be close to fatal or even getting into an accident. This one time, when the instructor asked me to pull my seat forward, I accidentally popped the trunk. He proceeded to become extremely frustrated and asked the following question: "Do you have a learning disability?" At first, I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so I nodded yes (keep in mind this is high school me learning to drive). I didn't know how to stick up for myself so I would just let him bombard me with comments such as "Driving is easy. Don't be lazy." Exactly what is he implying? How am I lazy? I drove. I didn't just sit there behind the wheel doing nothing. I just wished I remembered his name so that I could tell people to avoid him. read more

I was hesitant at first to sign up my son cause they were the cheapest around, and with all the bad reviews, but to my surprise they were great. The place is very professional and my son's drivers ed teacher was great. I don't know if i got lucky or they listened to the bad reviews but I didn't encounter anything negative. They come and pick you up at your house which is so convenient. I would definitely recommend them to my friends and family. They can also take you to the DMV for your behind the wheel test. I didn't expect them to teach my son everything that's gonna be my job, 6 hours of drivers ed is just the beginning or pretty much basic drivers ed. read more

Not a good place to do your 6 hour driving. The people here are very unprofessional and they can't even speak English clearly and properly. Do not go to this place if you want to learn how to drive and pass the Behind-The-Wheel Test, they hold your hand for everything. read more

Worst driving school ever. My instructor was rude and ignorant. Never come here unless you want some old man yelling at you and calling you stupid all the time. read more

Great school, professional instructors. Got my driver license after 2 weeks taking the class. Thank you so much for helping. You guys are awesome read more

ROBERT LANE! He is the only reason my rating is 5 stars and the only reason I went through Bolsa Driving School. If you're looking for an ovequalified instructor who is also incredibly affordable, I recommend that you specifically request for him. Trust me, you won't regret it. He will make you feel comfortable as you learn how to manage the road. I came in with no experience whatsoever and because of Robert, I easily passed my test. ROBERT LANE, don't forget! Oh by the way, only pay the $180. Try to not fall for their $460 deal, it's not worth it. Trust me! read more

After reading the horrible feedback from previous yelpers about this behind the wheel training I got pretty worried. My instructor was early to all of my 3 appointments and was not a nuisance when I drove. His name was David Tong and he was a pretty good instructor. The price was cheap (180) and was finished in only 3 days and I got the certificate after the final day. read more

This place is so unprofessional. I had my 6-hour session with a man (who I shall remain nameless) and all we did was driving around. He taught me nothing. These people are a bunch of bullies. He and his students always bullied me while I was driving them around. They laughed and made jokes about me to my face. I found it extremely inappropriate since he didn't teach me anything and expected me to know how to drive. I was always being respectful to his other students but apparently they didn't and it was his fault letting them interrupt my sessions. read more

Overall experience was pretty chill. I had Vu the first day and Tan the next 2. They teach what to do and what not to do and simple driving basics. They were pretty relaxed and looked like they knew what they were doing. I don't know about the other reviews but this experience was not as bad as I thought. You only pay $180 for the certificate and this place simple gets the job done. Not much to complain but not much to praise either. Recommended for anyone that just wants to learn how to drive in general. Don't expect too much though. read more

Seriously, don't go here. My mom read the other reviews and was kinda iffy on this place but we decided to enroll here anyway because it was the cheapest (and because we're both viet). I speak some conversational vietnamese but its not that good. I'm a lot stronger in english. When the lady here says they speak english, they do, but not well. Seriously. It's actually hard to understand what they're saying. I only learned some basics turns and stuff. They didn't really teach me much about parking or what to do on the highway/freeway. Bad teaching over all. My instructor criticized me a lot but didn't tell me how to do it the right way. His name was Tan or something I think. He talked on his phone most of the time instead of actually teaching me. I DO NOT recommend this place. It is cheap but you don't really get the education that you need to pass the driving test. They don't even give you the basics. read more

************************STOP & READ THIS BEFORE YOU REGRET IT*********************** I am a very calm person and usually don't write reviews unless it's really good or really bad. Kim at Bolsa Driving School is very unprofessional. During registration she will work with you to give you the instructor you want and their available schedule. During the sessions, she will switch instructors and the new instructors don't know what your child have learned from the previous instructors. During the 6 hour sessions, my child has had 3 different instructors. It is useless to call her to discuss! She will tell you what you want to hear and continue to switch instructors. Her tone of voice would also change, very rude, and B!%@$! During the driving session, the instructors have my child drive them back to the office and have her wait in the car while they go back to the office to wrap up on whatever tasks they had to do; therefore my child's driving lesson was not a full hour! Don't expect the instructors to teach driving safety or defensive driving, the lessons were basic driving skills. Our overall experience was extremely negative and I'm disappointed to even give them a one star. Don't waste your parent's hard earned money and your child's time. read more

My mom decided to take me here because it was cheap, and I really mean it when I say you get what you pay for. I don't remember the name of the driving instructor, but he wasn't professional. I was 16 and it was my first day driving in general. The first time I mess up, he just screams and yells "what's wrong with you?" Within my 6 hours, the only thing he taught me was how to drive straight and turn. I suggest paying a little more somewhere else in order to get the service you deserve. read more

I highly recommend this driving school. My instructor's name was Ken. He's very professional, polite and friendly. I passed my DL exam the first time. The school charge very little comparing to other DL schools and the service is really good. They alway message you to confirm the appointments. They're never late and pick you up from home, which is very convenient. 5stars! read more

Reading the reviews left me concerned with this place. However, when I started driving with my instructor (Ken), it was a great experience. Ken was very professional and kind in his work. At times where I would make mistakes, he would calmly tell me how to fix it. If you're planning on coming here, ask for Ken as he will not yell or give you an attitude. read more

Some of these reviews are too harsh and blown out of proportion.I enrolled my niece in this driving school because she needed her 6 hours of driving with an instructor. She said that her instructor's english was limited but understandable. Tan (her instructor) was an active, hands-on instructor that helped her steer the wheel when she had trouble making turns. He thoroughly explained the basics of driving, well enough for her to remember and understand. When she got the hang of it, she said Tan was nice and motivated by saying, "Good job." or "You're doing perfect!". I was glad to hear that she and her instructor got along fine. $180 is a reasonable price for the 6 hours of behind-the-wheel driver's ed. I am not sure about the demeanor of the other instructors but Tan did his job well and helped my niece learn to drive. read more

DO NOT GO HERE!!!!! This place was ok when Robert Lane worked here, now it sucks ass. All they want is your money. I had Robert and he was AMAZING!! He made me so comfortable with driving and really encouraged me. Sadly Robert left, and I was stuck with David. You do not want your child in the car with him. Not only is he pessimistic and rude, he when just randomly be like "you failed," and not say anything. If I didn't have Robert, I would've probably failed, but thank God I passed so I wouldn't have to deal with David anymore. He literally is the epitome of an asshole and when driving, he doesn't make it clear where he wants you to go. He merely points up in the air and expects you to know if he's saying right, left, or straight. $400 for a teacher who doesn't teach. Waste of my moms damn money. Don't fucking go here. read more

Terrible instructor. Didn't teach me much. Only talked when I was making a super bad mistake. Instructor was extremely disrespectful. And keep in mind this was my first time driving. The instructor named David asked me questions such as. "Why don't you ever pay attention?", "can you even see?" And picked his ear when I was on the road with him. read more

Instructors were great. David and Tan did an amazing job! I was able to learn more abt driving and got my behind the wheel finished in 3 days. read more

i had two sets of 6 hour lessons, each with a different instructor. the prices were fair so that was good. my first set of lessons i had mr. tan and he was alright. all i did was drive straight and turn occasionally. in the end, he didnt teach me how to park or to reverse, but instead told me to ask my parents to teach me. my second set i had robert lane and he was fabulous. he explained every minor detail and also gave me a couple of "tests" on the dashboard and a runthrough of how the actual dmv test would be, which was extremely helpful. he also taught me how to pump gas twice, which i really liked because even i forgot that i didnt know how to pump gas. all in all, the 5 stars are fo robert lane so make sure to request him!! read more

Very good prices and effective teaching. Sent my nephew over there and he passed the test just fine after 6 hours of training. I have no problem recomending them to others. read more

I signed up for my lesson in March, and I got two different instructors. I had Tan for one day and Robert for two days. Tan was very helpful and nice; however, my experience with Robert was horrible. He made me drove around; he didn't teach me much. I had my lesson with him in March. Robert showed up 1 hour late because of daylight saving. When he arrived, he told me it happens every year. This was so unprofessional! If this isn't the first time it happened, he should have learned his lesson. Robert wrote on my appointment receipt paper "August 6 from 1:45 to 2:45" to make up for the 1 hour. 5 months have passed by, but he didn't show up. I called him, and he didn't pick up. I did call the school, and they said he was teaching someone else at the time. When he finally picked up, Robert said he put me on August 7. I thought that maybe he wrote it on my paper wrong; therefore, I waited on August 7. You could probably guess what happened. Robert didn't show up, and I still didn't get my certificate. He didn't even take responsibility. I never got an apology. My driving test was coming up, so I needed my certificate. I went to the school, and the lady literally told me "you missed 1 hour, that's ok." I paid for this! I did manage to get my certificate and left. In conclusion, I don't recommend this place. Save your money, time, and energy. read more

I never given a 1 star review on yelp ever I try to find something good but I couldn't. I don't know the instructors name he had a brown complexion, scarred face, older asian man mid to late 50's around there. I knew from the beginning that this guy was not a good instructor.I have a car that have driven around, but I wanted that extra practice. First, I was leaving a residential area and going on a two way street.(I was going to be making a left turn). So I had to look both ways, I saw a car coming towards the left and this car was very close he was so close he could have turned into the residential area I was on. The "instructor" tells me to go, but I don't go, that would be an accident waiting to happen. If I had listened to him I would have crashed into the car.(he says something like oh when he noticed the car), So it becomes obvious he wasn't not paying attention.(so I thought will that's ok I am) As we went into a residential area he told me to make a left, and I turn on my signal to the left. Then as I was preparing to make that turn(from uncontrolled intersection he goes What did I tell you to do? with an attitude and he kept repeating it. I was so confused I stopped the car, and I told him did you not want me to make a left? He said he did so then I was like that's what I was going to do so I don't understand what the problem was. (mind you am not suppose to stop, but that was my fault I only did it after he acted like I was making a wrong turn) His telling me you need to listen, and he keeps on repeating it am not trying to debate him. So I drive straight and park the car instead to clarify what is it I was doing wrong.(he didn't like that but I wanted to understand what he was saying exactly his English was so broken. The conversation went nowhere and he gets mad and tells me do you want to go home? and being with a person who is not professional, I said yes.He got mad and eventually wouldn't listen to what I was saying. He goes blahhhhhblahhhh while shaking his head like a child. I tell him am going to be leaving a bad yelp review, and now I understand why you guys have such low ratings, and he says that the yelp reviews are lies. He then he says why did you want to go here because it was cheap? and I was thinking why would you talk trash on the company you're working for. If you read this thanks for reading all the way through. read more

I do not recommend this place mainly because of their terrible service. The owner and instructors there are unprofessional. The price ($460) is an unreasonable price for only 8 hours of practice and DMV practice. Not to mention I did not learn very much because all we did was drive around. I have called and complain, however they said it was my responsibility to also do research. I paid to have it taught to me not so I can sit at home and learn because why would I need to pay an overly priced plan ? Okay now here's another thing. You get a different instructor the day you go to the DMV, not the one you're used to driving with. In my experience, it's horrible because the man is unprofessional. He yells instead of calmly pointing out your mistakes. Screaming that you're going to kill someone is definitely not good for a mentality right before the real test. Not to mention my vietnamese is not very fluent and the man had a very heavy accent. I think it would be better if they only give you one instructor. To conclude I don't think this place really cares whether or not your experience is bad. They just want your money. read more

So to put it out there, I enrolled into the service of this driving school around April and got my license around the end of that month. Since receiving my license, I have decided to take some time to get a clearer mind before writing a review for this place. Well, my opinion of this place hasn't changed since then. This driving school is still utterly terrible. My original instructor was alright. I did like him. Sort of. He went over the basics but neglected some things here and there. My biggest gripe is with the professionalism of the instructors. The day of the driving, I was taken but another instructor. Let's call him #2. I was driven to the Laguna Hills DMV along with two other students. Lets keep in mind that I was picked up around 7:30 am. Upon arriving there, we cycle through the students to practice the test route one last time. Holy crap. There was so much yelling at the first student. Insults along the line of "being an idiot" and such. In Vietnamese, of course. Yes, his driving skills were quite rough but why was he even there for the test? Surely, the school doesn't revolve around having students and getting rid of them as soon as possible. Right? I didn't get yelled at because my driving was decent from practicing on my own time. The other students took their exams but it seems that for some reason, my test time was pushed back towards 1 pm. Huh. What I can understand from observing the procedures and the structures of the school is that they are chummy with the Laguna Hills DMV. I mean I did hear them discussing and laughing about the egg rolls that one of the instructors recently brought in for the DMV workers. I suppose that's how this specific driving school is able to get driving test appointments two to three months earlier than any other driving school. So I waited until 1 pm and took my test. I passed and awaited to be taken home. #2 left and told me that I was going to be left in the care of another instructor by the name of Tan. But I rather just call him #3. I didn't see #3 when I finished the test and waited around. 30 minutes pass and he still wasn't there. I had to text my original instructor for #3's number. Called him and apparently, I was not actually the last appointment of the day as #2 told me. There was another student and she was driving around for practice. #3 told me to just wait it out. Well, okay. I decided to kill time and went to the Carl Jrs. across the street from the DMV. Then I was finally called to be told its time to go home. We left the DMV around 5 pm. 9 hours at the DMV with the test itself being only 10 minutes. What fun I had. But it didn't end there. Tan insisted I drove home on the freeway. This was going to be my second time on the freeway. I told him I was tired and unsure but he insisted. The moment I back out of the spot, he mutters, "How did you even pass the test? You're terrible." Wow. I laughed it off, believing that it was a joke. Him repeating it twice more on the way out proved otherwise. And then on the freeway, he decided for me to do some maneuvers that was above my experience. Switching 4 lanes in quick succession on a packed highway and the such. All the while, he is still reminding me of how terrible I am and talking on the phone with someone about eating Korean bbq. I dropped off the other student and asked if we could just have him drive because I was drained of energy. lolnope. We have to pick up another student of his for his lesson. So we did and once the other guy gets in the car, #3 started to go over how terrible I am again. To this new student, Eli or something along that line. Eli was a nice kid, though. He just drove while #3 babbled on about how I wasn't his responsibility to drive home and that I was wasting his time. Well, sorry. I didn't exactly ask for this. Then he talked about how his clients pay him $500/hour and it only takes him an hour to make anyone ready for the driving test. Then he bragged about how he was the top instructor of the school and that his wife was the owner. How professional. I was dumped about 5 minutes from where my house was and walked the rest home. In conclusion, stay away from this place like the plague. read more

I suggest instructed Robert Lane he was a very chill guy always picked me up in time and made sure I drove the whole 2 hours he was a great instructor and his passing rate is 90% so I suggest you ask for Robert Lane read more

The owner is a real smooth talker who says anything to get you to work with her. She hired a very impatient instructor who yells at his students. Unfortunately, I forgot his name. You get 3 days of training, then you take the driving test at the DMV. Do not go here if you want to be able to drive on the road. They only train you for the test. read more

I had a horrible experience with the owner. My little sister took driving lessons on July 2017. The instructor failed to issue the certification of completion. The instructor was too busy trying to rush off and forgot to give the certificate. It's been a few months and we contacted the owner to get the certificate and explained the story to her. She was so rude and blamed us. She refused to listen to the story and demanded we pay her $20 for another copy. I went to the business to talk to her in person, and she continued to yell at me and my 16 year old sister while still dismissing what we were trying to tell her. She forced us to look through the papers and complained the whole time and told us we should be paying her more than $20 for the time she took. She kept yelling directly at my little sister saying it was her fault for losing it (while my sister is calmly explaining her the story). I told her that her attitude was ridiculous and rude, but she didn't care at all. Do not go here it is not worth it. The owner is rude, refuses to listen, and will do everything she can to cheat you out of money. read more

Very cheap driving school! I recommend to ask for Mr. Robert Lane as your instructor. He is very helpful and teaches you everything you'll need to learn. read more