Our experience with Sam was excellent.  We found him to be friendly, and an excellent, experienced, caring instructor.  As other's have said, Sam also made my teen feel confident and gave him a great deal of advice and tips that he wouldn't have gotten otherwise.  Sam extended an invitation for me to come along, although I felt my teen would learn better without me; I felt this was a very nice touch which gave me a greater sense of confidence and Sam's professionalism.  My teen was very happy and felt great after his first 2 hour lesson having had good feedback from Sam.  I found Sam's fees to be extremely reasonable!  We can't wait to schedule out next lesson.  Thanks Sam! Read Less

I was so disappointed when I called and whoever answered the phone (male, maybe Sam) he was short, rude and not polite.  They must have more business than they know what to do with.  I will not recommend or even call back.  Poor service. Read Less

The experience with Sam was wonderful! My son had never driven before in his life and Sam made him feel confident and more importantly, made us his parents, feel assured that he was ready to be on the road. Sam was able to make time for lessons at our convenience  and even picked him up from school and dropped him off at work one day! Our son passed his test with flying colors and continues to be a level headed, well informed driver. Thank you Sam! Read Less

My 16 year old liked Sam and the driving instruction she received which is a huge plus! She was nervous about driving but returned confident after one lesson! Sam was professional, provided great feedback, and was very personable! Read Less

This is a very good instructor for a new driver. Sam seems to instill confidence and safety and a healthy respect for the speed limit and all traffic laws. I am very happy we chose his company for driver training. Read Less

Sam has nerves of steel!  Somehow, even driving around with a teenager who's never sat behind the wheel before, he stays calm and collected.  He asks that a parent be present for the first lesson, so that instruction can be consistent; we thought this was an excellent idea, and that consistency helped our daughter.  He has excellent ways of teaching specific skills; for example, he showed our daughter a way of being able to calculate how to parallel park.  As a result, she gets it right every time.  There's no guesswork, or relying on experience that she doesn't have yet.  Our daughter was so prepared that she passed her test first time.  What more can you ask?  We'll definitely ask Sam to teach our son when he's old enough. Read Less

I am sooooo soooo glad that I found Sam! I was preparing for my road test - with 18 years of German driving experience under my belt - BUT Little in the US. Two hours before my test I loaded Sam into our Car and he was professional, flexible and empathic from the first second we met! He instructed me across any possible tricky corners I may experience during the test. And as a result I passed shortly after with "excellent driving skills"! And I truly was highly nervous. He didn't only teach me to prepare that test! What he teached me I will keep it for my general driving practise - lifelong! He is one if the rare instructors here in the Bay Area who truly knows what they are doing! Thank you Sam and all the best for you and your family! Read Less

I live in SF. Here's why I picked Sam's in San Rafael for my son instead of *any* school in SF. 1) Sam is straightforward.  2) You can understand him.  3) None of the kids or parents came home with stories like "I learned how to drive with my knees," or some such BS like they did from the SF driving schools.  My kid learned how to drive on winding roads, the freeway, and other realistic situations.  The driving schools in SF all stink. If the schools don't teach useless tricks, they are for DUI/multipointers.  Take the minimal hop over the bridge for yourself or your kid...it's worth it!  Oh, and Sam is a chill, nice guy too-- with rates in the ballpark.  A final word: he will be straightforward with you: if he thinks your kid is ready for the test, he'll say so.  Even if you are a concerned parent who wants your child to have more hours on *someone else's car, not yours,* he'll tell you and not take your money without saying your kid is ready. Admirable in my book! (April 2014) Read Less

Sam is amazing! Really knows the area, adapts to schedules, friendly, communicated with me after each lesson. All calls were returned promptly. He took my son out to practice driving in the same neighborhood where he would be tested. Really prepared him well (my son passed)! I had called around to a few other driving schools- I'm so glad I chose this one! Highly recommended! Read Less

I chose Sam for my teenage son's mandatory driving instruction based on a comparison of prices and the excellent reviews I saw here on Yelp. I am convinced that you couldn't do better for a driving instructor. Sam is calm, clear, kind, and friendly. He manages to instruct with a minimum of talking, while guiding his student, when possible, with subtle gestures of the hands to indicate a tad to the left or the right. He never gets excited and (unlike me) he never yells. His prices are also less than those of the national driving schools. I signed my son up for three two-hour lessons with Sam, initially, before I ever got in the car with him because I was terrified, frankly. After his three lessons with Sam I took over and all went well. After six months and 30 + hours behind the wheel I thought my son was ready for his behind-the-wheel driver's test but I wasn't sure, so I called Sam again and signed my son up for one last lesson. Sam gave my some excellent advice and told my son he was ready. He was right. My son passed his test and is now driving alone with confidence. Thank you, Sam! Read Less

My son had a great first two hour lesson with Sam.  It was very easy to make an appointment and he offered us various times/days to meet.  Sam came straight to our house and was extremely kind and calm!  He took our son out on a Friday afternoon and introduced him to a variety of behind the wheel challenges.  Because Sam is so calm, my son never felt overwhelmed and could settle in and get the most from his teaching session.  I have already referred two of my son's friends to Sam.  It is nice to know you will always have Sam as the teacher when you schedule a lesson! Read Less

Sam is the best!!  My 16 year old  had three two hour lessons with Sam, once when she was just starting, once a few months later and once the weekend before her test.  With Sam's help, she passed with nearly a perfect score!  He instills confidence in a new driver.  We cannot wait to call him again in two years when our other daughter is ready to learn to drive.  I highly recommend Sam to anyone who wants the best for their child. Read Less

Sam was everything you could ask for in an instructor, and more!He spent two hours with our 19 year old au-pair, was very patient and helped tremendously with her skills.  He gave us feedback, was always on time, and very nice.What is clearly best in class is that he came to the house, drove up to the dmv with our au-pair, and waited at the DMV while she took the test (and passed!), then drove back - and didnt charge anything for it!  This is clearly going above and beyond.  Sam, and his business, are simply best in class! Read Less

Sam is teaching our 16 year daughter to drive and he's teaching us how to instruct her to drive.  Sam is patient, he corrects gently, and he knows how to give a young driver instant confidence.  In the first two hour session, Sam had our girl driving on the freeway from San Rafael to Sausalito!  Just an hour and a half prior, she was terrified to pull out of our driveway.  Bravo Sam and Olivia!  I hope that I can remain just as calm and kind to continue building her confidence.  Sam was highly recommended to us by a friend.  I'm happy to do the same to other parents and drivers. Read Less

Sam was a perfect instructor! He was incredibly reliable, knowledgeable and patient. He was able to get me comfortably driving by our first two hour lesson. I am a 'late driver' ... I have avoided getting my license for almost 15 years lol. I thought the stress of becoming a driver would be to much but our lessons proved me wrong.I had a little over two weeks to learn how to drive ... waiting until the last minute before my permit was going to expire to set up my appointment and through Sam's Driving School I was able to pass my test today!I definitely recommend Sam's Driving School. Read Less

Sam is wonderful!  He is friendly, knowledgeable, and calm.  I was really nervous for my first driving lesson, but Sam's kind reassurance guided me through.  The lessons were very calm--no stress, and no taking me beyond what I was ready to do.  Sam is a kind and gentle teacher--the perfect match for a nervous teenager (:  The three lessons were extremely easy to schedule, and he was always on time and available.  Sam's rate is less than many of the popular driving schools in the Bay Area, and his service is ten times better (I've heard horror stories of teachers showing up late, yelling, and even blasting music!).  Sam was extremely professional and knowledgeable, and always ready to answer any questions.I thank him for helping me to pass my license test the first time with flying colors! Read Less