Gordon is an amazing instructor, he was very patient and very informative. It's clearly his goal to get you out on the street safely, not just pass the test. That being said he knows all the ins and outs of the driving tests at the DMVs in his area, he took me to the route I got tested for. I used his car for the test, he helped me get through the paperwork quickly. Highly recommended. read more

While I wish I could give Gorden 1 star I will say he is very knowledgeable and is somewhat helpful in teaching you to drive. I am a 22 year old learning for the very first time. I took 3 lessons with Gorden but after my lesson yesterday I am so unbelievably upset. Gorden will constantly belittle you the entire lesson and give you major attitude all while constantly answering his phone to set up other drivers lessons. IN THE MIDDLE OF DIRECTING YOU! Leaving you extremely confused on what to do next. I have very tough skin. I dealt with the attitude for two lessons as I get it must be stressful teaching new drivers and he is a very seasoned instructor so it's routine. But the complete and utter lack of respect is so wrong for new drivers. He seldom gives positive reinforcement and he make you feel like complete crap for learning. Yesterday during my lesson it came to a head toward the end of the lesson. I honestly even regret paying him but at the time I thought it was the right thing to do since it was towards the end of the lesson but I wish I could get a refund. He was trying to teach me to park and parallel park as well. I am not a person who will instantly pick up what someone is teaching me. It's already nerve wracking worrying about someone's car and the cars around you and then to have someone getting angry and belittling you for not remembering something all while just trying to learn pushed me to the limit where I was holding back tears. No one should feel this way. I put the car in park put the emergency brake on and left crying to a nearby park. I've only spent a few hours in the car and when you have someone giving you attitude and being rude it wears on you. I will firstly admit I definitely made mistakes while on our lessons. That's the point of the lessons, TO LEARN. Yelling at someone effects your driving and state of mind. It effected me so much that for the next hour I just spent crying until I calmed down enough to order a Lyft home. He tried to apologize through text and drive me home but the damage was done. I have never felt this way ever being taught to drive. He is not a teach for people who are sensitive for sure you will probably be leaving your lesson in tears. Yes I will admit that there are things I should've remembered or known but it's so unbelievably hard to recall that information when the person you are trying to learn for it treating you so very wrongly. If you don't like tough love learning STAY AWAY. read more

Took my first lesson with Gordon today . He is really calm and corrects you when you make a mistake he will make you practice untill he feels that you can move on To the next lesson . He cares more about you learning how to drive safely and know all the rules then just passing the test . Forgot to update . I only took 4/5 lessons with Gordon . In about a month or 2 I was able to pass my dmv test ! Thank you !! good coach read more

My son was completely unorganized and was going to have behind the wheel test on a Friday and it was Tuesday already in the week and had no idea what to expect on the driving test. I started to make calls out to Driving schools that morning with no luck. Gordon returned my call and managed to schedule a 2 hr driving with my son that same afternoon, he picked him up from our house and drove him home. Gordon then agreed to take son to DMV for driving test on Friday so my son could drive his car. Even though DMV was so behind with appointments, Gordon waited and stayed in contact with me entire time. The great news is my son passed his test, and my son told me after that he was so glad to drive with Gordon, he learned a lot and he wouldn't have passed without his help. Thanks again Gordon read more

Though I had been teaching my son to drive for 6 months, we needed the 6 hr of professional training. Right before my son's appt, I hired Gordon to get that extra training and know all the rules needed to pass the test. Gordon was really nice and good. He gave my son great advice and he went beyond the call of duty and switch an appointment w us so he would be able to take the test ASAP. I was very grateful for that. Great price for what you get.... My son passed the test the very first try... read more

I received a message from the owner about my review. I've decided to respond to it here. I strongly believe that a business should be transparent, and that Yelpers should also be held accountable for reviews. My responses are denoted ***. "Hello, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to give me feedback. I however don't believe that your bad experience with a driving instructor involved me. Perhaps another instructor? This is why I'm certain that your driving instructor wasn't me. My first lesson always occurs in this order: driving straight, a lesson on right of way, practice turning, lane changing, and starting from an incline. Some exceptionally fast learners also do U-turns, and 2 and 3 point turns. This all occurs within the 2-hour lesson. I have been doing this for over twenty years and rarely do I stray from this pattern. *****I never said that my first lesson was lackluster. I stated that my lessons after that were spent driving around a park practicing turns endlessly as you complained. Later on, I discovered that my turns were perfectly fine from another instructor. He was right. I also wouldn't ask any of my students to do anything illegal, let alone berate them for not doing it. I tell all my students to only change lanes when they deem safe nor would I ask them to drive the wrong way. *****I will say that you did tell me to make a left turn onto a road where the intersection had traffic flowing the opposite way (a one way road). You definitely berate your students, and have quite an attitude when telling them that a mistake occurred. If you look at some of the "not recommended" reviews (for whatever reason, I find them very accurate), many of them say the same thing. Furthermore, I don't eat when giving a lesson. I admit that I do need to bring my own lunch as working my own business requires crazy hours--but I assure you I never eat when with a student. I too agree that it is incredibly unprofessional. I do drink coffee though, so perhaps there was some confusion there? But my car is also equipped with two cup holders so there would be no reason for me to "clutch" my cup of coffee. *****I never said you ate. I said you clutched a thermos, and you appear to spend more energy focusing on making your thermos safe. Again, if you look at other reviews, they also state that you furiously clutch a thermos and appear to care for its well-being over your students'. Yelpers, this isn't like, a person putting a lunch box in their lap, it's like, furiously clutching it as if it was an urn carrying ashes. In response to your attack on my teaching efficiency, I would just like to say that I work really hard in maintaining a 99% pass rate. I don't suggest any of my students take a DMV test until I am certain that they can pass their first try. I work a small business so I know how costly multiple tests can be, and for that reason I maintain a high standard for my students. In addition, I've worked in this business for a quarter of a century now. Its infeasible that I haven't memorized all the testing routes by now. Daly City's test routes haven't changed in over a decade... ****Retakes at a DMV are not costly. Suppose you failed for the first time; you have two more tries. The retake fee is $7 per retake. Now, if you failed all three times and had to get a new permit....that's costly. So, what IS expensive? MULTIPLE LESSONS. (or, multiple lessons from you...) Perhaps you thought I could pass my first try. After I failed, you clearly stated that if I had taken more lessons with you, I would have passed first try. DC's routes haven't changed in a decade - yet you failed to show me exact routes, unlike other instructors who happily pointed them out. Lastly, in accordance to the governing board of driving instructors, I record all my students, if even for only one lesson. That being said, I can't seem to find you in my records. Because I maintain such a high standard, these reviews are particularly scathing for me. So I ask to please just verify with me that you were indeed my student. Is that at all possible? If so, simply post the number I used to text you with. *****I value my security, and I know your iPad stores not just students' names and phone numbers, but also, addresses. So, obviously not. I will proudly post your personal cell phone number instead: (415) 506-8822. Yelpers, this number is text only. *****Also, I wanted to point out that if you had a 99% first-time pass rate, finding me would not be very hard. You said you've been teaching for twenty years. Suppose you taught a new student every day for twenty years; a 99% pass rate would mean that you had 73 failures over twenty years. Surely you can find me in seventy people....and I'm sure that you've taught FAR less than a new student per day. Again though, thanks for the feedback and I hope you have a nice day. With regards, Gorden Wong ps. My name is Gorden, not "Gordon." *****Your business card says "Gordon". read more

It's $30/hr but you get what you pay for. I picked up two things here. Learning how to start on a hill (use your left foot to hold the brake and slowly accelerate with your right foot while moving your left foot off the brake) and when checking your side mirror, the car you see is actually 2 car lengths behind. In addition to the tricks I learned, I also got some bad advice. When backing up for the DMV test, I was told you can only look in the rear view mirror. I used a different driving school that told me otherwise. He said I could use the side mirrors and when I took the DMV test, my examiner did not have a problem with me using the side mirror and looking behind. I also had 15 minutes wasted by having the instructor explain all the traffic rules/signs. I wouldn't have my learner's permit if I didn't pass the written test, so it was time wasted. read more

My Advice: DON'T USE THIS DRIVING SCHOOL As a 17 year old, I had the worst experience spending 6 hours in the car with one of the rudest human beings I have ever met: Gordon Wong. This school would have been helpful if I wasn't scared out of my mind that he was yelling at me and being extremely sarcastic about my driving. Although I learned some decent things about driving, it was extremely hard to get through the 2 hour lessons without wanting to smack him in the face. The constant eye rolling, yelling, lack of positive teaching, and his need to protect his thermos of food rather then the people in the car drove me crazy. Lets just say that the moment I said goodbye was one of the happiest moments I have ever had. read more

Very dedicated and wastes no time in giving you all proper instruction. Definitely recommended

Special thanks to City Driving School ! I had an unusual request and they worked with me successfully. My grandson, just back from his third tour of duty (US Army), this time in Afghanistan, needed to secure his driver's license in a short window of time during his leave. I contacted the School well in advance of Chris's return, explained our urgent need, our limited time frame, and just how important this assignment was for Chris. Our instructor, Gordon, worked with me! I kept him informed about Chris's return dates and timing. Gordon never failed to call me back and reassure me that he was available when the time came. And Gordon was 100% available all of the time. Chris took 10 hours for driving lessons, passed his test successfully with a high score. Gordon is friendly, supportive, thorough, and a professional. Thank you again!!! read more

Gorden was very responsive to my calls and voicemails for appointments for driving lessons..He picked me up promptly for my lessons, always calling beforehand to let me know he was on his way or at my home..3 lessons later including one right before taking my drive test and I passed to renew my license. I only missed by one point, because I took the middle lane on the way back to the DMV making a right turn instead of immediate right lane.. Gorden had told me several times, but I got nervous on way back when taking the test with the examiner. I knew it right after I did it, but hey ..it was only one point.. I was more worried about backing up in a straight line on a busy street and nailed that, so I'm happy. Gorden even took me to my DMV test, walked me through to the clerk at the window I needed to report to for the test. He spoke to the staff, helped with paperwork, etc... Since he allowed me to use his car, we had to have proper documentation. We also did a trial run through of where we had to go inside the DMV the week before. Gorden waited so patiently for me during and after the test at the DMV. Gorden was very calm when teaching me. He gently told me when I made mistakes, always reviewing things like turns or backing until I got it right. He took me through the test course multiple times and the freeway. I highly recommend him to others. Thank you so much Gorden for all your help! So relieved! Maureen read more

Thank you so much to Gorden. Recommended by my cousin, my parents hired him to teach me how to drive. He is an experienced instructor- organised, nice, friendly and professional. He always arrive on time and is flexible in my last minute arrangement. Other than just teaching me how to drive, he also gave many exam tips and shared his driving experience to me. After having lessons with him, I felt confident and comfortable with driving and that's why I was able to pass my first driving test easily. Therefore, I highly recommend City Driving School. read more

After having taken more than 11 classes and still failed the driving test with another driving school, my husband found this one. I so much wished I came here in the first place! Gordon is a great teacher that knows every detail of driving and the car. He is not as amiable and humorous as some other teachers and he never chats with you on anything not related to driving simply to please you. But he is extremely knowledgeable and a detail oriented person. He is able to give me very detailed instructions all in just one class on turning and merging and explains very clearly why it is so, and let me see where the blind spots are from the side mirrors and their differences, and how that relates to merging and making judgement when you're driving. My nervousness of merging was immediately cured after just one class with him! Gordon allows me full control of the car with very minimum instructions and interference. If I make a mistake, he just calmly points out what mistake I just made (usually very minor, as he will take control of the car if he sees I might make a big mistake), without making any judgement on me or whatsoever. To put the learning to the next level, during driving, he will keep asking me if I have noticed particular details (e.g. did you see a black car coming close when you were making that turn? Have you checked that pedestrian in the corner when you make the turn?, etc.) if he thought I might have not paid attention even if it's not dangerous not to have done so in this particular case, but might impose danger in future. In this way, I immediately learned what details to look at when driving through the real practice and real cases. This is enormously more helpful than simple "vague" sentences like "look at the whole picture." "Scan frequently". "Don't focus"I got from the other school. My confidence boosts hugely after just one class with him and after 3 classes, I confidently passed the exam. Now I can drive very confidently and merge even if the traffic is busy, because I know clearly whether it is safe to do so, how to safely do it and why. I would highly recommend this driving school if you're the type of learner like me, who need very clear explanations on how things work. read more

not to be mean, but this is the worst driving school. i had a really bad expirence here, and if u dont speak chinese, then dont go here. The instructor, Gordon is very very rude and is not a good teacher at all. ATTITUDE is the word to describe this school. ESP to all teenager drivers, I TRULY RECCOMEND NOT TO COME HERE. a reccomendation would be A&M driving school. :) read more

My three oldest boys all took lessons from Gorden Wong at City Driving School. Just recently my son, Jarvis, got his license at the San Francisco DMV with only one error. Not only did Gorden go to great lengths to fit lessons around my son's crazy sports schedule, he gave Jarvis detailed notes and specific areas to work on. Unlike some of the new huge generic driving school teachers (with whom one of my sons took one driving lesson from and all they did was have him drive around for the required time) Gorden works with his students on important and difficult skills, like parallel parking. I love that he is a local business owner, his prices are reasonable and his commitment to his students way beyond any I have heard from parents whose children took lessons from other instructors. He even helped Jarvis get a drive test appointment with the DMV at a time that worked for him. I've recommended Gorden and City Driving School to all my friends on Facebook and I feel comfortable and confident when my 16 year-old heads out the door to drive anywhere he needs to go. If you care about your child learning to be a truly safe, accomplished driver, City Driving School is for you. read more

Just finished at the DMV and passed my driving test on the first try. I contacted the school just last week and explained I was experienced driver, but had let my license expire 20 years ago (I'm 62 years old). I requested to begin behind the wheel classes as soon as possible, since I needed to have my license before an autumn trip back to the East Coast. I had obtained my learners permit two weeks before by applying and taking the written test on my own. They were able to offer lessons the next day. Gordon was my instructor and he was understanding of my needs and allowed me to decide how many total sessions I would require. After my first 2 hour session, we decided an additional 2 hour session would suit me and he would schedule my test for the following week. During the class Gordon was very clear about any issues I needed to improve on and he did it in a very calm and direct way. We practiced every-thing that was on the test so there were no surprises. I highly recommend this school, and, Gordon in particular. Another plus was that their rates were the best of all the schools I researched on the internet. Within one week I had my license at a total cost of $ 320.00. read more