Local Driving School

"Kirt is the bestest teacher you could ever have. He thoroughly explains the rules. At the end of the lesson he give an extremely helpful evaluation on areas to focus on. Throughout the lesson he talks about things to pay attention to while driving. He makes a game plan for his students. I think my favourite and the most helpful part is the white board in the car. His diagrams are super helpful. He also genuinely cares about his students !!! I highly recommend booking lessons with Kirt, especially if you are a beginner."

"I went to Local Driving School for my first ever driving lesson back in November 2023, purchasing just 1 lesson to try it out. The lesson was unprofessional and bizarre, and I contacted the company immediately afterwards if there was some way I could be reimbursed, but they said no to all options. I apologize for the late review, I got busy at the end of the year and have put it off as I've never written a negative review and the instructor knew some info about me. At the time there were only 2 choices of instructors available out of the long list they had on their website, both men. Initially I wanted to learn from a woman due to the nature of being alone in the car with them, but went with one of the instructors anyways as I wanted to learn as soon as possible. He picked me up and we had some small talk, but he continued to share information that was more and more personal in nature. It started with how he felt too tired to teach and should've canceled, but was thankful he didn't because I seemed like a cool person and wouldn't have met me otherwise. This was alarming, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt as it seemed like a compliment and I thought I would still learn something. He went on to describe how his body was feeling and about his personal and romantic life, traumas, etc. At some point I mentioned I was 23 and he mentioned he had a partner that was the same age. I believe he said he was 41 and that he had met his partner 5 years ago, right after or as she got out of high school. He said I seemed like a safe and open person to talk about this stuff to, but the situation felt so bizarre and trapping that I didn't know what to do except engage without revealing too much about myself despite how uncomfortable I became. As for the lesson itself... I don't feel like I learned anything. I almost scraped a pole at one point and was warned after the fact, and when we were driving back to the drop-off location we were distracted by something in the distance and I ended up running a red light on a thankfully empty T junction. During the drive he explained that he had been drinking a lot of water, and so I had to drive him to a restroom twice. I kind of felt like a personal driver! Due to concerns that he knew my name and where I worked, I sent an email to the company using less explicit details that night, including that he overshared "personal information", that I made mistakes that could have easily been prevented by the instructor with the passenger brakes, and that I felt like I didn't learn anything. I asked if I could be refunded in whole, partially, or even given some sort of credit for a lesson with another instructor. No response despite a 1 week follow up. The company called me 2 weeks after the email to schedule another lesson... I asked if they had seen my email, they hadn't, and looked for it. Their response was that though that was unfortunate and they would be talking to the instructor, there is a clear no refund policy on their site. I asked if I could get any type of reimbursement, like credit with another instructor, and they said no I would have to pay in full for another lesson, and offered no solutions. This business model shocked me. I understand no refund policies, but that there is absolutely no assurance that a lesson will be safe, comfortable, and professional? No solutions for an uncomfortable experience? I still get calls and texts about scheduling my next lesson despite the email and the phone call. I believe there has to be some great instructors among their list, as seen in more positive reviews. I guess I would say if you really want to have a lesson with LDS, stick with the named instructors in the reviews if they are even available on their site. I believe I had to pay before looking at scheduling options, but my account seems to be deleted...?"

"I had Kirt for two lessons and it was great. He made sure to help me on any areas where I felt uncomfortable and left feeling more confident in my driving. He will train you on the route and the conversations we had while driving were great!"

"Kirt is a great instructor and took me out on really interesting routes. Happily I passed first time and feel very confident behind the wheel - lots of great tips for being a safe and considerate driver in the bay. Thank-you Local Driving School"

"I had the privilege of having Kirt as my instructor, and I must say, he is truly an exceptional teacher. I highly recommend local driving school and Kirt. He was very calm which helped me stay at ease. It was evident that he possesses a genuine passion for teaching. I learned so much during my lessons. Kirt's guidance and support helped me feel so confident in my driving abilities. I now have better understand the rules of the road. Thanks to his expertise, I feel well-prepared to pass my test. THANK YOU SO MUCH KIRT!"