I've never before left a Yelp review and never thought I would, but having found this driving school on Yelp, and through their favorable reviews-- I feel like I need to warn people that they really should look elsewhere.  The fact that there's any positive reviews at all leads me to believe they're left by shills, because I've yet to see a single redeeming quality. Whenever I have to deal with them, their utter ineptitude never ceases to amaze me. Most aggravating is the constant rescheduling and canceling of appointments, which has happened multiple times (even day of!) because of an apparent infinite supply of flakey employees who always seem to call out sick the day of. Apparently everyone's "grandma is in the hospital", because this was the same reasoning I got each time, both appointments, 2 weeks apart and with different instructors. Real original.  Maybe there's an office dog that can eat the scheduling memo next.  I'm leaving this review today, after yet another cancelation.  This time they wanted to reschedule for a date after my actual driver's exam!If you should be so lucky as to have an actual person really show up to your scheduled appointment time, don't get your hopes up. My experience was akin to picking up a complete stranger off the street, and driving around for 1.5 hours listening to them babble inanely-- with about 80% of said inane babbling being on topics totally irrelevant to all things driving.  The last 1/2 hr of the two hour lesson is actually spent doing maneuvers....except my instructor had absolutely no tips to give. "You have to feel the angle" was how I was instructed to parallel park, as he nervously jabbed at the passenger side brake.  Thanks dude. Why don't you continue to pontificate about your family life, and I'll just teach myself here.In general I don't like the idea that everyone on Yelp gets a voice. It allows everyone to be a critic, whereas everyone shouldn't be.  But in this case I totally see the importance of piping in on the comment section of this business in hopes of potentially steering other unsuspecting prospective clients away. Please heed my warning. There must be better businesses out there. Read Less

I hadn't driven in years, and I needed to start driving again for school in the Fall, so I decided to find a local company to help me brush up on my driving skills. I purchased the 10-hour package, encompassing two 2-hour sessions and two 3-hour sessions. I like the fact that you can handle scheduling and payment either online or over-the-phone!For all of my sessions, I had Carisa as my instructor. She was extremely knowledgeable about all the driving rules/laws, had useful visual tricks (like when to know you've crossed a limit line, the ideal distance to stop behind another car, a step-by-step guide of how to parallel park, etc...), and gave specific feedback on my strengths and weaknesses. I gained exposure to all different kinds of driving environments (city, suburb, highway, back-country, hills, etc..), and she gave helpful advice on how to navigate the specific challenges of each! I feel much more comfortable driving by myself now, thanks to her help!My only criticism is this: I had paid an extra few dollars in advance to cover the toll for driving into San Francisco via the Bay Bridge, but they did not inform my instructor of that, so I had to pay an additional $6 out of pocket during one of my sessions. Read Less

Let me first say that I just noticed the Yelp reviews for this page is extremely outdated. The last review written for this school is 5/3/2017, 1/13/2017, and before that 6/23/2016 - red flag #1. Anyway, not having read through this Yelp page, I went ahead and purchased the Silver Package for adults because I'm a soon-to-be 22 recent college graduate around mid-March. The Silver Package includes three 2-hour in-car lessons and a ~1-hour prep before your driving test with the instructor accompanying you there.When I tried to schedule my first in-car lesson, the earliest available appointment was 2 weeks from that day. Seeing that this school seemed like it had a packed schedule, I went ahead and scheduled all 3 lessons. On the day of my first lesson, my instructor was 25 minutes late - I had received no notification about this and sat outside my apartment waiting for him. I called the driving school and the representative told me this was "normal" because instructors need time to commute between lessons. During the entirety of my first lesson, I was extremely uncomfortable being in the car. My instructor went on rants about 1) his marketing ideas for Elon Musk & Teslas, 2) how he is afraid of his greatness and how smart he is, 3) his ultimate dream in life is to create an Asian dating-app. Having not driven in 3 years, I asked him for tips and guidance, e.g. how do I check my blindspot? Where should I look etc. He did not explain anything.After having this uncomfortable experience, I went back to my online account to make sure I would not be scheduled with the same instructor again. Low and behold, my next two were the same instructor. I called the driving school to request for different driving instructors - when asked why, I gave a summary of my lesson and the representative (I later found out it was one of the co-owning brothers) of the company even told me that this was "absolutely unacceptable behavior" and that I would "never be scheduled with him again". After receiving confirmation of instructor changes, my next two lessons were 1) rescheduled multiple times without my knowing on the morning of the lesson, and 2) rescheduled every single time with the same instructor I had requested not to be scheduled with. Calling again, I asked why my lessons were changed without my knowledge, to which they responded, "oh well it had to be you because our system wouldn't just do that". I asked if instructors had access to their online system, and they said they didn't. Every single lesson I have been rescheduled without my knowledge for the same instructor I requested not to have, despite already having received confirmation two weeks prior for different instructors. In my experience, I felt extremely disregarded as a customer despite having paid $474 for my package. This was the worse experience I have had and I would never recommend my friends to this school. Pro tip 1: note that the photos are all outdated (2015 or before). If I were you, I would read through the ~recent~ reviews to look for instructors that are recommended by other Yelpers.Pro tip 2: Carissa was an absolute sweetheart and she's the best instructor I was able to get rescheduled with. Look for her if you were to try this school. Read Less

I have been waiting to write this review since February - before February, it would have been 5 stars. The three driving lessons my daughter had were excellent. The instructor, Ricardo, was able to give her lots of pointers and also increase her confidence dramatically in a short time. Sadly, for her last appointment on 2/2/17 - which was to be at the DMV before her test - the instructor didn't arrive for the appointment. I called LDS and they said they had a new computer system and no instructor was scheduled for her appointment even though they could see it, so they would refund my credit card. I was able to reschedule my work, and my daughter took and passed her test in my car.  Several days later, I noticed that my credit card had not been credited the $149, so I called. They said there was something wrong with my card or with their system, so could they send me a check instead. "Yes, of course," I said. Then I waited, and then I called, and another nice person apologized and promised to send a check, and I waited, and I called, and another nice person apologized and promised to send a check. And now it is May - more than 3 months later - and no credit and no check. I'm not sure if I will ever get my money back, but I think you should avoid doing business with this company. It is still unclear whether they are dishonest or disorganized; either way you'd probably be in better hands somewhere else. Read Less

Had a great lesson with Steve Voigt! Steve is a great teacher, and really fun to chat with too. We covered lane changes, protected and unprotected lefts, parking and reversing. By the end of our session, I felt pretty well prepared for the actual driving test. Highly recommended! Read Less

Thanks to Local Driving School, I was able to learn driving from basically 0 experience and pass the DMV test in a week. I had two lessons with Angelina Mascorro, one with Ricardo Mascorro, and one with Steve Voigt. All three of them are wonderful instructors and have different teaching styles. Angelina is more hands-off style, Ricardo is more of a narrative style, and Steve is a mixture of both. Read Less

One of the best teaching institutions I ever had. Reception staff is best. Very helpful, professional and caring . I didn't feel awkward through my course. My trainer Mr Manish was best instructor. Very helpful, had lots of patience and very skill full. He showed me lots of car driving skills in very easy way. He was really friendly. Top bloke. Please don't waste your valuable time and money to go other driving school. Local driving school is best.. Thumbs up.Read Less

I just passed my behind the wheel test today, take one! And I'm so happy:) I wouldn't passed it without the help of my great instructors JOHN, STEVE & BILL. Thank you so much, I appreciate all your patience. The customer kinda mess that's why only give 4 stars. Read Less

It was a great experience at local driving school ,the instructors helped me a lot with there advices ,guidance and they build the confidence in me . I recommended for everyone  who need some practice and  willing to pass the test . So don't hesitate and sign up with local school driving you will notice the difference from the first lesson. Thanks Mani, Edwardo and Steve. Read Less

I was having trouble passing the DMV test, got classes with Manny and Ricardo. Both of them gave some excellent tips/pointers and were very familiar with the DMV area. Passed the next DMV test I took. Highly recommended. Read Less

Thanks to Local Driving School, I passed my driving test in one take! Instructor Ricardo is extremely patient, and he teaches me driving tricks and methods which helped me to drive with confidence!  On the day of the driving test, Instructor Steve picked me up an hour and half earlier, just to observe and practice around the dmv that I'm taking my exam at (El Cerrito). It really helped and prepared me for the driving test so it's less stressful to drive in somewhere that's more familiar. Overall, I would highly suggest Local Driving School, whether if you're a newbie in driving or someone who needs to re-practice your driving. Read Less

SHODDY SERVICE at Berkeley driving school. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First of all, last Wednesday i had an appointment at "LOCAL DRIVING SCHOOL" and the instructor driver should pick me up at my apt. at 9.30 am. but i was waiting him for 15 mins as well as didn't see him and i called the local driving school to check about the instructor. Moreover, i was waiting for the school to call back me. Thus, i called the school again at 9.52 am. and she said 5 mins to check the instructor and ...i was waiting for them again but they didn't call me back. So, i called them again at 10.09 a.m. because i had to test at 11.00 a.m. and i need the instructor to be training me before heading to take the test DMV. And then i was waiting for him as well as he picked me up at 10.15 a.m. WHAT???????? 45 mins!!!!!!!!!!! to waiting for him. He said something vague, he didn't say what. He said that he would instruct me for 10 to 15 mins instead of one and half hours!!!!!!!!!!! I think it's unfair for customer because i paid the full price $149. After i took the driver license test, i got passed. And then i called the school again at 12.31 p.m. to tell about my situation because he picked me up too late. i felt dissatisfaction and the school said sorry and she told me a supervisor will call me back. Additionally, i was waiting for them to call me back but they didn't call me back. i called the school again in evening and he said on Thursday the manager will call me. Secondly, on Thursday, i was waiting the manager to call me back but he did't call me back. So, i called the school again to ask about your service and i didn't like it when i called your school at 11.57 a.m. WHY DID I CALL THE SCHOOL AND YOUR STAFFS ALWAYS TRANSFER MY CALL TO ANOTHER PERSON ? ?Moreover, i asked your staff about this situation and she said she was call me back and i asked her WHEN?? WHAT time?? and she said 12.30 p.m. when 12.30 p.m. she didn't call me back. WHAT THE .... !!!!!!!! WHY ARE YOU UNPROFESSIONAL ??? Has this business been open long???? And i called your school again at 12.45 p.m. to call the manager and she said the manager wasn't here (FANCY THAT!!!!!!) and the manager will call me back TODAY to talk about refunding my fee but WHY didn't the manager call me back??? DO YOU THINK THIS SITUATION, it's JOKE?????? Local driving should be responsible this situation ..... and the manage should owe half of my fee. Where are the owner or supervisor or manager or staff???????? Local Driving School Zobacz więcej Read Less

If your looking for a good driving school then this is the one you want to go to. Having to deal with the DMV, insurance, and vehicle to get my son ready to start driving as been a lot of work. Mani made it very easy and simple. He was thorough with providing information and scheduled all trainings in time so my son could take his test before school starts. Read Less

So, I got the Silver Package for adults because I'm a grown man who's never really needed/wanted to drive. Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco are all super great walkable/commutable cities. Anyway, I had four 2-hour lessons with three instructors. Vincent was my favorite who I had two lessons with. Then, one with Ricardo who was more talkative than I maybe wanted; but his guidance was helpful & his laugh makes you laugh. And on the day of the driving test, I had Steve who was fine too. More mellow than both Ricardo & Vincent, his insights helped on the day of the test.Despite never driving before, I did this over the course of two weeks & passed my exam on the first attempt, so thanks guys! Read Less

I've been waiting for 50 minutes for my appointment, and nobody from their office has even bothered calling me. This was after they rescheduled twice before already! Extremely unprofessional and unreliable. I would never recommend this place to anyone. Read Less

I had a two hour lesson with Vincent, and I have never felt more at ease during a driving lesson. After learning that I registered my road test at the El Cerritos DMV, he kindly directed me to that area and led me through a few of the courses. During the two hours, we drove around the area multiple times and practiced the basics and complicated road rules in El Cerritos and Berkeley. Vincent was calm, pleasant, and extremely helpful. The two hour lesson was surprisingly productive: I started off not being able to identify hand signals to later making u-turns and backing up. Highly recommended! Thank you, Vincent and the team! Read Less

I had a lot of anxiety about learning to drive, so much that I waited until I was 23 to do so! But I passed my test at the Vallejo DMV on the first try thanks to Ricardo and Steve.Ricardo gave me two lessons and was calm, patient, and easy going. He made me feel very at ease and gave me confidence by demonstrating different styles of driving and giving tips on what the DMV will look for. I appreciated that he took me on the freeway, busy El Cerrito and Berkeley streets, and by the water, and I felt very comfortable in the Honda Civic. The fact that he had confidence in me made me have confidence in myself. He was also on time for both lessons which I appreciated.My third lesson with Vincent unfortunately went pretty badly. His style of teaching was much more harsh and critical, and his tone was sharp and annoyed as he kept correcting me for mistakes, and didn't make an attempt to seem friendly or encouraging. I got so stressed out by his teaching style that I ended up losing confidence and making more mistakes that I didn't make on my lessons with Ricky. Eventually I started crying behind the wheel because I felt so bad and overwhelmed. He had someone observing him while we drove, which may have been why he was more stressed and strict. That lesson left me feeling like I wouldn't pass the test for sure.However, that lack of confidence all went away when Steve picked me up for my final lesson and DMV test. His demeanor immediately put me at ease. I learned that he was also a ska fan and I enjoyed talking to him about music. The fact that he took time to talk and connect with me instead of yelling at my mistakes made my stress go away. We reviewed the interior of the car and then I drove us to Vallejo for the exam. Steve gave me thorough tips as we drove around the neighborhood where the test would be. He covered everything that was on the test and gave me the extra practice I needed so that when it was time to test, I felt at ease with the car and my skills. It was the best DMV experience I've had yet. Thanks Ricardo and Steve for making the experience of getting my license painless and enjoyable! Read Less

I took a lesson with Ricardo, and I found it really helpful. He was upbeat but calm and talked about a mile a minute - which is actually really enlightening when he's describing all the aspects of the road that he's watching as we go. The woman who answered the phone at the office was similarly upbeat, polite, and helpful. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to book an appointment in the mornings or evenings - they seemed very eager to work with my schedule.Disclosure: I got a discount (lesson for $99 instead of $110, DMV driving test for $149 instead of $170ish) because I mentioned I'd review on Yelp. The discount was a big help, since learning to drive can be really expensive! So far it's been a lovely experience. Would recommend. Read Less

I purchased the silver package , very happy I did if it weren't for Local Driving School I wouldn't have my license right now. Steve Voigt was a great instructor very mellow , and laid back. I was very comfortable far from nervous , I'd definitely recommend him! THANK YOU LOCAL DRIVING SCHOOL! & STEVE! Read Less

I decided to take driver's training after countless times of attempting to drive with my mom. I highly recommend Ricardo (Ricky for short) as a driver instructor. He's extremely patient and goes by the motto "learn from your mistakes." Before taking the driver's training, I was too afraid to even drive into the streets. After one session with Ricky, I can say I'm more confident than I ever was. I'm excited and can't even wait for my next two sessions with him! Read Less

I purchased the Silver Package for Adults and for three out of four of my lessons, I had Ricardo, or Ricky, as my instructor and he was wonderful! He knew exactly what and how to teach me, from basics to complicated road rules and such. He was patient and if I made a mistake, he would tell me exactly what I did wrong in a positive, teaching tone and let me know how to correct myself. He was familiar with the area I'm from and helped me prepare for my test at El Cerrito DMV. He was thorough and very positive and joked a lot during the lessons, it was great to have him instruct me. After my first lesson with him, I tried very hard to schedule my other lessons with him online. They recently updated their website and their scheduling system online works well from my experience. Thanks again for helping me pass the test my first time! Read Less

Thorough!  It's just 1 way to describe Manny. I called another school and never got a call back after I left them a message. So I called, spoke to a very nice young lady who put me through to Manny. He not only answered my questions and concerns but made the process painless. They offer different prices depending on the individual and Manny helped me with getting the right 1 for my daughter. I have the dates for the lessons ready and the test date also. Thank you so much Manny Read Less

Their web site and front office are a bit of a mess. I got charged three times trying to sign up my daughter. (easily fixed with the credit card company) because the site was broken, they got her name spelled wrong, and bungled one appointment.My daughter had two instructors. Steve was awesome: helpful, friendly, and competent. The guy she got the day he was unavailable played Christian Rock (just as awful as it sounds) through the whole lesson and payed more attention to his phone than my daughter. Except when he was asking for local restaurant recommendations.So moderate your expectations, allow time, and ask for Steve. It should work out OK. Read Less

My daughter did her behind the wheel training almost a year ago with this company and it's pretty good for the price. My daughter had 2 teachers. She first had Steve for the first 2 lessons and I totally recommend him for being so patient. On her last lesson she had Ricky and he was awful.. Very rude, was sweating a lot and on his phone the whole time. I would've gave 5 stars but my biggest complain is that the instructors were always over 30 mins late and ended the session too early. Read Less

The drivers ed was good.. But the behind the wheel training could have been a little better, my last two sessions the instructor was late by a few minutes which was fine but in the last one the instructor was late by an hour. Read Less

Passed my test on my first try at Walnut Creek DMV after taking two lessons with Steve.Steve was friendly and patient throughout the lessons. It was easy to ask him any questions and he was very nice about accommodating my needs. I particularly appreciated being able to practice additional driving skills that wouldn't be on the DMV test (such as freeway driving).It would have been nice if the lessons started right on time as scheduled (I usually had to wait about 5-10 minutes). I guess this is understandable as it's probably not uncommon for students to show up late so the instructor probably just factors that in. Read Less

First session wasn't that good because of the teacher(I will not name anyone) but the second session was awesome! I learned SO much and it was definitely a confidence boost for my test. I HIGHLY recommend STEVE!! I feel confident in taking my test and was able to discover what taking the driving test was like. So if you sign up here ask for STEVE! He's the MVP. Read Less

I took my wife here for help to get her passed her driving behind the wheel test and we went to this driving school as our last I had given up after about a month of driving with her I could not teach my wife anything I kept blaming her as a bad driver but it turned out I was a bad teacher! Because after going to this driving school within two weeks she was ready to take her test and she passed without a problem. The driving instructor was a awesome guy also with their prices were fair and their schedule also flexible what else could you ask for five stars all the way! Read Less

I recently made an appointment to get behind the wheel drivers training at this school, however I was up and sick all night last night, and didn't feel good enough to go. My appointment was at 9am and I called and left a message at 7:30am. I woke up to two voicemails saying that Ricky couldn't find my address, so I called to let him know that I had cancelled the appointment due to me not feeling well(as well as the cost being too much because I was unsure about that as well). He then told me he was already in my city, and that he was going to charge me for same-day cancellation (which I had no idea they did, I was never informed of this) then I told him no one has any payment information and he replied rudely with "We will get that from you later." Also, after a $99 a session fee they also charge for registration. Seems like there's tons of costs they don't tell you until you're about to hand them your credit card. I already completed my 6 mandatory hours and was looking for a better driving school and a good teacher to give me more practice, but looks like this WON'T be my school. I had high expectations because of the yelp reviews, it's disappointing that they didn't live up to all the great ones. I can't believe I got that horrible of customer service. Read Less

Felt like my instructor was just trying to waste time. He was on the phone for a good quarter of lesson and simply had me drive in circles while he talked to his friend. Would not recommend this place. Check out another driving school - they may cost more money in terms of hourly rates but you'll definitely learn more. That in itself will save you money (you won't need to take as many classes to learn how to drive. ) Read Less

I had Ricky as my instructor and he was awesome! His teaching method is very kind and patient. He has years of experience behind him and makes you feel safe driving. His car is also very nice to use. Passed my test at my first try! Omg. And just like a good luck charm, I even got a job interview right after! I recommend him :) Read Less

It is a good driving school. Cheaper compared to the other schools in concord. I had two teachers.  The first guy was real cool and the second guy was Ricky and he was horrible. He uses his own car, horrible car and he spoke for an hour on the phone in the 2 hours driving class. He would hold the steering every time I turned, so basically I drove in my lane everything else he did it for me. The customer service is good so ask for another driver if you can. Remember the name Ricky, he is ethiopian(just to recognize the guy Read Less