My mother who doesn't know anything about writing reviews has kindly asked me to write one on her behalf. My mom is a senior citizen and she gets nervous on the road. She has taken numerous lessons but never gave up under the guidance of Li 师傅. He had been so patient, so encouraging, and so helpful that on the 4th road test time, my mother managed to pass. My mother can now officially drive on the road by herself (just kidding, too soon). But she got her driver's license and 100% it's because of Li 师傅。 Her constant failures have made her almost give up but he told her not to give up and it is normal to fail. To keep on trying and one day will succeed. Indeed, she did! So proud of her read more

Never driven before in my life as someone who was born and raised in New York and I passed my road test on the first try in one go! As I have a busy schedule after September, I started driving (like completely beginner) at the start of this month and took the test on the 26th. This isn't ideal but worked out for me. The team is extremely thorough with teaching everything you need to know to pass the test and drive safely on the road. I signed up for the 15 classes package and that includes them helping me sign up for the road test and drop/pick up at the road test (using their school car for the actual road test). Overall, a great experience! Would recommend. read more

I had Mr. Chen as my instructor and passed my road test at Red Hook. He was very patient with me when teaching me, teaching me every detail when it came to passing the test and what to be cautious of. He helped me gain my confidence when passing the test as I've failed before with another driving school and he is an overall great instructor! When it came to scheduling, Kelly has helped me when it came to accommodating my schedule and working around it. Thank you so much Mr, Chan and Kelly! I have two daughters, I'll definitely send both of them! read more

TLDR: Incredibly affordable lessons and car rental for driving tests They helped me schedule for multiple tests in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which seems to be their default test site. Extra context: I took multiple tests because I was underprepared for the first few due to my own fault. I have been driving on the other side of the road for more than a decade and thought I would breeze past the driving test without lessons; I was wrong. Started taking lessons after I failed the first time. I took lessons with Mr Huo and Mr Chen multiple times. I would say their teaching styles are completely different with unique merits. Mr Huo is more blunt and constructive whereas Mr Chen more patient and supportive. Both of them speak limited English so while the entire lesson will be instructed in English (instructions on where to turn and what to do), you'll need to proactively ask for more feedback or if you have any questions. I learned a lot from both and while Mr Chen's schedule is more packed because of how nice he is, I would say be open to scheduling lessons with either instructor since both instructors helped me improve my driving skills in different ways. I've passed the driving test and while thankfully I don't have to go through the test again, I would gladly recommend the Canal Driving School to anyone looking to take a driving test in NYC. read more

Mr. Chen is a very nice and experienced instructor! He answered all my questions very patiently and gave me very useful tips on parallel parking. I am a driver for 28 years in my country, and need to get a NY driver license, if I use my own instinct to do parallel parking, I can park the car within one foot from the curb (the test requirement), and immediately behind the car in front of mine (very useful skill for narrow space on the streets) probably only 7 out of 10 times, but I can do it beautifully 10 out of 10 using Mr. Chen's tips! And he knows every details of the Red Hook (Brooklyn) road test site and will give you all the hints that make you feel confident in the test. Besides, Paly is a very enthusiastic receptionist at the school office, she answered my questions very patiently and assisted me in every aspect of this journey according to my requests. I really appreciated her help! read more

I had taken classes from another driving school in Brooklyn, and had a terrible experience. I was able to pass after taking a 10 lesson package from Mr. Chen. Canal Drivinging School may be a bit pricey compared to the schools in Brooklyn, but it is so much more worth it. Mr. Chen speaks Canto and English,he was very helpful and patient. He had never yelled or raised his voice at me, unlike the previous instructor I had. My driving skills and awareness are a lot better because of him. Highly recommend this place. Also, the front desks are also super helpful and nice. COVID 19: Instructors wear face masks and face shields. They keep disinfectant wipes and Lysol in the car. Super clean, and you can open the windows for ventilation. read more

Pass my road test today! It's my first try and I began to learn how to drive after the first lesson in this school. I had the 15-lesson package first, but I added 4 lessons after 10 lessons. So I took 20 lessons finally as the lady at the front table provided me 1 lesson for free. The 20- lesson package is suitable for those who have never driven before. Its price is $570, including the pre-license education and two tests. 18 of the lessons I took were tutored by Lee Sifu(instructor), and 2 (the 15th and 16th lessons) were tutored by Huo Sifu(instructor). Lee Sifu is very helpful for improving my driving skills and very kind to point out your mistakes. Students who take the road test in Queens can be taught by him. He also encouraged me, helped me to relax by talking about other things , and reminded me about the key points I needed to notice when waiting for the test. He is pretty familiar with the test sites in Queens and kept reminding me to pay attention to the points that will be tested in the road test when practicing. You can feel free to ask any him questions during the lessons whenever you feel confused. But I think his English is not very well, so try to say simple words if you speak English. As I'd taken 16 lessons before taking the lessons by Huo Sifu, I can drive a lot smoother in his lessons. He compensated 1-3 points that had not been told by Lee Sifu, eg. watching the second side window when turning right. But he talks less, only pointing out your mistakes and giving orders like go straight, turn right, turn left. Normally, l took two lesson each time, with 45min/per lesson. So each time I took lessons for 1.5 hr. Highly recommend taking classes in the morning 9:30 when there is less traffic on the way to the practice site. 11:00 class is fine but a little more traffic on the way. 1:30 class is at the time with most traffic I have ever tried. The practice site is with little traffic but there is much traffic on the way to the site. At the beginning, the tutor will drive you there and let you drive back. But he will let drive on the way to the site and back when he think you are ok to drive. It's a good experience to drive in the area of Chinatown, because you can learn how to drive defensively. The site I took test is Kissena Park in Queens. Ask the staff or the tutor there if you want to know any information about the test sites. Although the roads there are two way without center lines, this site is not difficult, as there is little traffic and few parking cars on the way during weekdays. read more

I wanted a hassle-free experience within walking distance from my apartment and a low cost package deal w/experienced teachers whose goal is to prep you to pass the road test. Their no-frills operation (no website, no online payment, no email) worked for me. Simply show up, check out their price list and pay in-person the old school way. Kelly and Andy try their best to coordinate lessons based on your schedule, walk you to the car for your first lesson and resolve any issues as needed. Despite the fact that I don't speak or understand Chinese, I took a chance with Canal Driving School. Initially, I thought this would be an issue but driving instruction is pretty straightforward in any language...signal, turn left, turn right, full stop, yield, etc. Mr. Chen taught me a near foolproof parallel parking method (1-2-1). His lesson route is pretty consistent which gives you a sense of confidence while Huo varies his routes allowing for more spontaneity. I found taking lessons w/both instructors gave me a well-rounded experience driving in the city. Feedback in English is short and simple...sometimes a terse "FAIL" when I mess up (for example, touching the curb while parallel parking). All comments were very constructive and helped me become an alert and better driver. Thank you Kelly and Andy for being efficient and organized; friendly and helpful! Most of all, many many thanks to Mr. Chen and Huo for their patient instruction as you helped me pass the test on my first try! I highly recommend Canal Driving School but if you're not sure, try a lesson (1.5 hours for $60 - actually two lessons at once; perfect amount of time) to see if they're a good fit for you. read more

So, what non-driver writes a grant to make a cross-country road trip across literary America? That's right, this one. I was in a right pickle, so something had to be done. Norman at the Canal Street Driving School to the rescue! After perusing web sites and making calls to almost all of the driving schools in the white pages, I found Norman's prices to be THE best. Think you have to pay 40 - 50 dollars for a 45 minute driving lesson? Well, usually, you do. Guess how much you pay in Chinatown? That's right, $20. Even out of the Chinatown businesses, this one was the cheapest, selling a 10 lesson package at $190. Unfortunately, for my first lesson, Norman was 45 minutes late. He took some girl to her road trip on Staten Island and couldn't beat the traffic. Despite this, I really did like Norman. He has 30+ years of experience as a driving teacher and has a daughter of his own who just learned how to drive (he won't teach her how to drive on the highway yet...cute). He always yelled at me to "slow down little bit" and once he had me stop so he could pick up an arrangement of flowers for his wife. I found these things endearing. Also, learning to drive in Chinatown is certainly a trip. It's like playing real life frogger all the time: dodging people, cyclists, kids, trucks, cars and dogs. They say that if you can drive on Canal Street at rush hour, you can drive anywhere. After some prompting, Norman also took me on the BQE, the LIE, The Williamsburg Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. I was really proud of myself and actually feel confident to take this cross country road trip. Beware, you have to pay in cash. Also, the list of prices on the wall is in Chinese. However, the secretary there speaks English well, as does Norman. Vroom Vroom... read more

I took the 15 lesson package as a beginner with no experience. I passed on my first try today at a, according to him, challenging site with Mr Huo. Instructor Huo is an amazing, kind and experienced teacher, and focuses a lot on teaching you safe driving by observing the road. Different teaching style to Chen, Huo is sharp and gives a lot of constructive feedback, trains you to be independent which I believe is crucial to improve driving skills. Huo knows his students well and he correctly predicted how many points I was going to get on the road test. I enjoyed the fun and genuine conversations during lessons :))))) Thank you canal driving school, recommend !! (I don't usually review but so thankful for Mr Huo) read more

I would highly recommend this driving school, they really want you pass the test! And I have Mr.Chen as my tutor, he is very nice and patience and he explain everything that you need to know about the road test. read more

Disclaimer: I had prior driving experience before hand. I had been driving for a year with a permit and had taken 20ish courses before coming to this school. I also understand Chinese so if you don't understand Chinese your experience may vary. I took my drivers test with another school before coming to canal driving school and they really screwed me over. The instructor was a old man who was around the age of 70. Fall head of gray hair, spoke English, but often times would fall asleep while teaching me. I could drive I'll admit that but without proper guidance I wasn't able to pass. I took my road test 2 times with that school and decided to call it quits. After failing twice I decided it was time to switch schools so I chose canal driving school. The women and man at the front desk are typical business people. They'll crack jokes with you, treat you like a customer. Overall very friendly people. I registered with them and they helped me sort out my test date location etc. they also wok with your time schedule so if you aren't free on certain days. They'll try and work with you. The instructor didn't really teach me much probably because I didn't need much teaching. But he was very attentive. I took the test once with them and passed with flying color. At the end of the day, you can't go wrong with canal driving school!! read more

Passed my test today! Thank you Canal driving school. I took classes from both Mr Huo and Mr Chen. Mr Chen took me to test. He is very nice and tells you all the details that needs to know. Mr Huo is sharp and always tell you what you did wrong. Highly recommend! read more

My boyfriend took 10 lessons and passed his driving test! He had some previous experience though. The lessons are conducted in packs of two 45 min lessons, so 1h30min together. The school provides the car. Student gets a short break at half time. Refer to SMS update for exact lesson timing. Things can be adjusted slightly the day before. But this is definitely an affordable option. Two instructors - Chen and Guo. Guo is stricter but teaches everything you need to know. If you need a caring and tender instructor then best to go for Chen, but he is less available. They can speak English but if you can speak Chinese or Cantonese it would help a great deal. Experienced instructors! Had to wait for around 5 weeks for the most recent test date. They will drive you to the test location on the day. Offers tests in Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island(extra charges). read more

Everyone was very rude. I tried to reschedule my lesson because I was sick, but they wouldn't do it. Waste of money.

A bit of a scam school. Mr. Hou, who clips his nails and talk on the phone while teaching, yells a lot and doesn't really teach. The parallel parking/driving method he teaches are only applicable if you're already so good of a driver you wouldn't need driving classes. His car is also not functional (you usually can't adjust the side mirrors because the controls don't work). On the other hand, Mr. Chen is an amazing instructor, with an amazing car, but never has any free slots until you fail the test a few times. On the bright side, Jennifer is very professional and on top of things. The school also call to remind you about lessons and whatnot. I wouldn't know if this is standard for driving schools or if I just don't click with Mr. Hou...but I'd recommend only if you apply so ahead of time that they have to let you schedule all your lessons with Mr. Chen. read more

Mr. Chen is very sweet and very helpful. He makes you feel very confident, but almost too confident as he is wary to give you any harsh critiques. I need the harsh criticism in order to improve. But I continued scheduling lessons with him as I was glad to find a helpful driving instructor in Lower Manhattan. I booked a road test for a date that was a few days before I was going to leave New York for good. This was a booking I had done on my own, NOT through this Canal Driving School. A week before my road test, all of a sudden, I got a voice mail from Canal Driving School telling me that they had cancelled my road test and rescheduled it to a date a month later. I was not going to be in New York then! I would be more than a thousand miles away. I was so confused and furious. Why? 1. They had no right to change my road test. I had booked this date ON MY OWN. 2. Why would they cancel it without telling me? Or without giving me any advanced notice? 3. Why would they even cancel it in the first place? I never even told them to change or even touch my road test date! I never even mentioned the word "road test" to them as I already had everything set up on my own beforehand. (I would be using another car for the road test) 4. Why would they reschedule it to a date that I wouldn't even be in New York for? It was just too messy and extremely unprofessional. I switched to a different school to take lessons. read more

No previous driving experience. Passed first time. Signed up for the 10-lessons (five 1.5 hour sessions) and 2 road tests attempts for $390. I had Mr. Huo in my 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th session. I had Mr. Chen for my 3rd session. Therefore, I would talk about both instructors based on my experience with them. If you want someone to babysit you, then pick Mr. Chen. He will tell you when to go, stop, slow down, turn, etc. I feel that Mr. Chen is probably the preferred instructor for the first couple of sessions. I don't think that I would want him for all five sessions because you won't be making your own decisions when you drive. You won't receive any instructions besides turning left and right during the actual road test. Learn the basics with Mr. Chen if possible, then take Mr. Huo for your last couple of sessions. Many of the other comments seem to depict Mr Huo as someone who yells at you. In my four sessions with him, I don't think he has yelled at me once. (The other people probably disagreed with him and went in an argument with him. Just listen and follow what he says.) Throughout the lesson, he will only tell you to turn right or left. He won't instruct you when to start turning your steering wheel or when to slow down or go. You will be making all of the decisions in the sessions. If you make a wrong decision, he will let you know what you did wrong. This is why I feel that Mr. Huo will probably be the better instructor for the last couple of sessions. TLDR; Mr. Huo is better if you don't need someone to babysit you and can handle critiques. Mr. Chen is better if you want someone to tell you exactly what to do and when. read more

The people tailored the lessons around my schedule and they tell you every time you have a lesson. Very flexible and understanding when you drive. I had two different teachers who both spoke mandarin/english which was very nice. It may seem pricey but I passed my first road test. Learning was very easy here. read more

Took the 20 lesson package and passed my road test on the first try. Had half my lessons with Hou Sitfu and half with Chen Sitfu. Both were great instructors and had different points of view that were helpful in passing. Hou Sitfu was more strict and I ended up learning alot about road observational skills from him. Didn't have any issues with his teaching style. Chen Sitfu was more technical about parallel parking and broken U turns. Special thanks to the rest of the crew there for scheduling and reminding me when lessons were. Highly recommended. read more

I followed Yelp review and found this school. I am glad I did. Passed the test on first try! Thank you both Mr Chen and Mr. Huo for the excellent lessons! One tip I can give is make sure you practice on the day right before the test and practice at the test location on the weekend before the test. Good Luck! read more

I passed the road test yesterday, and it's my first try! A lot of my friends have told me that the road test at NYC is notoriously hard to pass, and I know several people who took the road test several times. So, I was scared, and prepared to take at least two times. Basically I don't have much prior driving experience (if you count years of playing GTA, then I got plenty ;) I went for the 10 lesson package with both Mr. Huo (the 1st two lessons) and Mr. Chen (the rest). Since I had most of my lessons with Mr. Chen, I will talk more about Mr. Chen. The reason I chose this school is that it's not to far from where I work and the price is fair. For me, there are some obviously cheaper (like, half of the price) alternatives, such as schools in Flushing. But they are too far from where I live, and I really don't want to spend hours on the way to the school. My initial plan was to take the lesson in the morning and go to work (although, it turned out most of my lessons were scheduled on weekends, which was fine too). My impression with both teachers are positive. Mr. Huo tends to be more explicit about your mistakes and his opinions on your problems. I saw some people were not very happy about it. but I am totally fine with it. In fact I take notes on my mistakes (I will release them online so that you guys can benefit from it. Yes, I am such a good person LOL ). Mr. Chen is more outgoing and he is willing to explain to you in details about every question you ask. I even asked him for advice on buying cars. When you pass the road test, he is happy for you as a friend. This is quite important for me. As for test places, you can choose Staten Island, but you need to pay more. It is NOT easier. The school actually picks the best place for the road test based on many factors. My suggestion is to let the school pick for you and trust them. As promised, the following is my notes I wrote after each day's practice. It's in Chinese, use Google Translator :) Note for Day 1 - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kbVS0c0EZNbYs5ys-XsoreTMRISOJiekl4dYAprdjNw/edit?usp=sharing Note for Day 2 - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eG2lFyqiIoeQzly-GZojXkJzhtDs93TWpy7S9vWtOV4/edit?usp=sharing Note for Day 3 - https://docs.google.com/document/d/10l9bZdvFLRYCO8sVb2zfmewaTEWH78-30hciRXltqng/edit?usp=sharing Note for Day 4 - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r6TOBr3ntMNd1LSq7VI6WrTWq-WlNK5dEyVWepPEPmQ/edit?usp=sharing read more

This place is a must MUST go if you want to ace your road test the 1st time. I highly recommend Mr.Chen (like the person mentioned below, he is really tall). My first impression of him was that he was very laid back and super NICE. Unlike other instructors (based on stories my friends tell me) he will tell you every single minor detail you need to know. He tells you EXACTLY what to do and HOW to do it so there are no questions left to ask. He is an instructor that really wants you to pass-- unlike other instructors who want you to fail so you'd come back and pair for extra classes. I paid for 4 lessons, $25 for one lesson just so I could get used to the car and learn techniques I otherwise wouldn't learn from my friend. The secretary who answers phones there is SO SO nice too. She answered all my questions and would always call me the day before to remind me that I have classes at whatever time. If you want to pass, look no further, I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed. read more

Good price, good instructor. My wife is from China, wanted a Mandarin instructor which limited our school search. She also is very price conscious, wanting to save money wherever we can (I am so lucky =) ). Bad news is saving money didn't work out that way when she took classes at cut rate driving schools in Flushing and Brooklyn. Those instructors would say she was doing great, but then she would bomb the road test, and then bomb the road test, again, and again. And with pretty much the same penalty points each time. Couldn't chalk it to bad luck. But she would keep saying her teachers told her she was a proficient driver, she must be driving different during the test since she drove so well during classes. (ie, such excellent pupil they have nothing left to teach,,, *rolls eyes*.) At best they are incompetent teachers at worse they are sabotaging naive students into flunking to take more classes to make up for the cheap prices. Her driving license situation was getting ridiculous, so before her latest road test I looked up Yelp, and sent her to Chinatown's Canal School where she took a double class with Mr Chen. Mr Chen is very patient but also teaches the correct way to pass the test. He is overly picky about signalling on a K-turn, but I told my wife to disregard it, as she never got penalized for how she was U-turning in the many times she flunked the road test. The main thing Mr Chen added to her driver education was proper OBSERVING the road for the test examiner to see you know to look EVERYWHERE, and also helped to smooth out her short braking. Unlike her other instructors who just had her drive around for 1:30 hours, Mr Chen focused on and corrected her road test flaws. She passed with only 20 points. The final insult to injury... she took the roadtest car from cheapo brooklyn driving school ... the instructor wanted a "red envelope" tip for her passing. I'm thinking if they want extra for passing, they should have gave a discount for not passing all the other times. I highly recommend Mr Chen of Canal Driving School with confidence, after trying out 4 other driving schools and too many road test failures to make public. read more

They helped me pass the test!!! Amazing service, active people and reasonable prices. Definitely recommend.

I took ten 45-min lessons with Li/Lee Sifu and just passed my road test in Red Hook, Brooklyn! had some previous experience driving outside the US but it was a while ago and I needed some additional lessons to refresh my memory. If you're like me and just need some more practice, I would recommend this place ! Had a great experience overall with both my instructor and the people at the office that helped set up my schedule, however would recommend doing some investigating on your own about the road test area beforehand - students are not allowed to practice there by law but it does help to get familiar with the type of traffic and roads at the test site so you know what to expect. read more

I hardly leave any reviews on any websites but I just registered on Yelp after using it for 5 years to rate this school 5 star. Mr. Chan communicates the rules very clearly and makes things very easy. He is also extremely kind. I would recommend him to any friend of mine. read more

My experience at Canal driving school was awesome!! The staff is nice and helpful, they really take care of their students (I mean, really :))) I especially liked the package that offers 2 CHANCES of renting their car for road test - I could not find such a great deal like this at no where else and actually IT WAS STILL CHEAPER compared to many other schools' pkgs that provide only one-time road test. My instructor Mr. Hung is a great guy. He's very friendly and patient. He knows the rules and tips, also provides full of details to help his students to understand as much as possible. In summary, it was really a great experience and thanks to those kind and warm-hearted people at Canal driving school, I successfully got my driver license at last! Thank youuuuuu!!! ;) read more

My driving teacher was Huo Shifu, he was nice and honest to his students. And the receptionist Kelly was such a warm-hearted lady who helped me a lot. Anyway, I passed the road test in my first try!! Highly recommended!! read more

Very good driving school. I passed the road test in Astoria with the 20 lesson package and with mr. Huo as the instructor. Thank you!

Highly recommend Li and Chen lao shi. Thanks to both of them I successfully passed my road test today! :) Personally I like both teachers and I feel that both of them have their pros and cons, my first few lessons were with Li lao shi. He's very nice and friendly, he's quite hands off and let you take control of the car but sometimes he isn't as strict is calling out your mistakes. Chen lao shi is great, he's great at pointing out all the small mistakes which is important because you can't afford to make them during the test. Chen genuinely wants you to pass and give you clear guidance on what you need to keep a look out for during the test. I took my test with Chen. Thank you! :) read more

I agree with Tina. The previous guys were rude, silly and... TERRIBLE! But I think they've got new receptionists and instructors or maybe they've got a new owner too. Especially the lady Jasmine there is very nice and helpful. And... the price is still a steal:) read more

I quickly yelped to see if there were more driving schools near me. I found Canal driving School. Mr Chan! OMG thank god. I took 45 mins class and I felt like a new person! He was god send. He explained very clearly and immediately spotted my driving habits and weaknesses which he worked very hard to correct. He asked me the location where I tested and clearly outlined to me what I should look out for. Even though I did not sign up with the school for the test but they were still very kind, helpful and patience and offered me all I need to know. I passed! Pls see Mr Chan, he's a really tall man you won't miss him. He's a great teacher! Thank you! read more

I passed as well just yesterday, like many of the other Yelpers, after taking lessons here. I did the $480 package, which is 16 driving lessons (45min each), 2 road tests, and a 5 hour pre-licensing course (available Saturdays only and given in fluent English as a 2-3 hour powerpoint). I have never driven a car in my life -- I have no experience with cars, I didn't even know there were two pedals to begin with (on an automatic at least), and I definitely did not know how to turn on the air conditioning, so this says a lot about what this school has taught me. I took my lessons with Huo, which is great if you're fluent in Chinese (he says he's from Guangzhou so his first language is Cantonese). He knows REALLY REALLY basic English, so if you speak Chinglish, you're fine. If you speak English, and English only, you may not want to take courses with him. He enjoys talking about reckless drivers you will see in Chinatown and LES while you're driving and tells you not to follow their example. First day (two lessons a day) was learning how to operate a car and how to control it (such as braking and turning). Second day was continuing to practice these skills and towards the end, introduction to parallel parking and broken U-turn. After that, it's practicing everything you learn, and learning your street signs, when to stop, when to turn, blah blah. Basically training your judgment and observation skills on the road for the remaining 6 days. The day of the road test (I took mine in Fresh Meadow), I was scheduled a lesson right beforehand (totally recommend you to do this because the receptionist thought it would be a good idea for me to get warmed up). At this point, Huo began to tell me funny stories about his past students as a way to finish my 16 lessons with him. When we got to the site, he knew about how every examiner graded and told you, which ones you should be afraid of. I passed with flying colors with a woman whom he said was a bitch. read more

This review is for the one-shot 5-hour pre-licensing course, which was $50. I went in expecting to be bored for five hours in exchange for a certificate. But the course was actually full of useful advice for the road test and for driving in general. Anthony (the instructor) went through the material at a good clip, and his delivery was engaging and practiced. Contrary to my expectations, I got a lot out of it, and the time went by quickly. read more

If you got Mr. Huo, you would rather you have never paid for the lessons. It is a disaster and does not help your skills at all. Fortunately I have Mr. Chen's lesson for one time. Otherwise I will report this school. read more

I usually don't write reviews but had such a good experience with Canal Driving School that I felt I need to share this. I got my permit on 12/19 and passed road test on 1/29 (first attempt). I had never driven a car before, and without Canal Driving School I would never be able to get my license within 40 days. My friend and I looked up places to take driving classes in Manhattan as soon as we got our permits. Chinatown was the obvious choice given convenient location and cheap price. I checked out Leung's Driving School first because of the good reviews on Yelp but was extremely disappointed - the front desk was rude, the office was dirty and filled with cigarette smells, classes are very expensive and the package they offer only covers one road test. Next day I went to Canal Driving School and had a much better experience - the lady in the office was patient and nice, she explained everything in great detail, packages are much cheaper than Leung's and cover two road tests. I immediately signed up and scheduled first class in two days. Classes are 45 minutes each and you usually take two classes in one session. I bought the 15-class package (which comes with one additional class, equaling eight sessions, the safety instruction presentation and two road tests). I had good experience with both instructors there, and in fact I found it extremely helpful to have classes with both of them since they would point out different things. After my eight sessions, I added 10 more classes because I still had some time until the road test. My road test was scheduled on a Thursday in Staten Island, and on the Sunday right before that my instructor took me to my road test location in Staten Island and practiced there (it would cost 3 classes). It was extremely helpful to drive at your test location and I highly recommend doing so. Then it snowed very hard on Monday and Tuesday. The whole city was shut down on Tuesday because of "Winter Storm Juno". I was worried and heard a lot of people rescheduled, but eventually decided to go forward as I thought I was ready. On Thursday morning, I took one more class and particular practiced parallel parking because the curbs were covered by the snow. Then my instructor drove me to Staten Island. When we got there, my instructor told me about the style of lady who will be giving my road test. I drove as usually and passed I am going to take two high-way classes this weekend with Canal Driving School. It has been a great experience - the office is very easy to work with and you can schedule / reschedule classes easily. Instructors are good, although you will need to speak either Mandarin or Cantonese. If you speak the language, I would say this is the No.1 place to take your driving classes in Manhattan. Hope this is helpful. read more

I lived in NYC my whole life, so I really don't need to drive but it was just time for me to get my license. It was hard picking which driving school to chose but I decided to go with Canal Driving in the end. The Receptionist is around her 40's, pretty easy going, speaks fluent cantonese/mandarin so communication was not a problem for me, she was able to accommodate to my tight schedule and I always had Mr. Chen as my instructor. After my 10 lessons that came with the package, I got additional classes (recommended if you never driven in your life) After the mandatory 5 hour class, I took my first driving lessons & everything went well. Mr. Chen was not intimidating, he's super attentive and cautious, I would treat him to cup of lemon tea :) I realize that I had to ask him lot of questions of what it'll be like on the day of the driving test, what is expected, etc. I kept asking to practice my parallel parking & U-turn during the last 2 sessions before my test and he was fine with it. I definitely suggest to have him take you to the actual driving test site in Red Hook and practice. I failed the first time within 2 minutes because I was suppose to make a right turn but didn't immediately move into the right lane :( Its these things that get you so be very attentive but same time calm! All the best! read more

I took Huo Lao Shi and passed on my first try!! I learnt some driving before this, but also was really nervous to drive. By the 10th lesson I was pretty confident. Huo lao shi's honestly not that bad. I was really scared to take him because of the reviews but he didn't even yell at me once. He's really straightforward and won't bother to make small talk, but he makes sure to correct you each time when you make mistakes. Overall the driving school was pretty easy to coordinate with and the people are very friendly. Getting my license was a very no-hassle experience which was great :) read more

I did the 15 lesson with 5 hr course and 2 road tests package for $490. The receptionist added an extra lesson for free so I ended up with 16 lessons. They schedule you 2 lessons at a time (1.5 hr) with one of two teachers: Mr. Huo or Mr. Chen. My first 2 lessons was with Huo. He spoke to me in Cantonese and when I didn't really understand him he would say it in English. His English is really good so I don't know why he kept talking to me in Chinese when I asked him to use English with me. The rest of my 14 lessons I scheduled with Chen because I wanted someone who would just speak to me in English. I know Cantonese but the road test is going to be in English so I wanted English only. Huo talks more and critiques you on how you drive. He also likes to go to places with stop signs and stop all ways so you know the difference. Chen gives directions and only says something when you do something wrong like (no dont cross into bike lane). He also likes left turns and parallel parking a lot. One time I did like 5 parallel parkings in a row on the same block. The receptionist on Thursday Friday and Saturday is young and speaks good English. She emails you a day in advance of your appointment. The receptionist on the other days is with this guy and they're fluent in both canto and mando. Their English is okay. These two call you in advance of your appointment. I prefer the calls because sometimes your appointment time changes like 1015am instead of 930am (this happens when someone's road test takes too long). I passed on my first try. Would recommend. read more