Berkeley Driving School
You will probably get a lot of recommendations for Berkeley Driving School; both of my daughters really liked Donald, and Louie was also helpful. By the way, although as an 18-year old your kid isn't required to do the preliminary first step of an on-line course, the abbreviated version for adults can provide useful basic information to prepare them for the written test.
We used driversed.com for the written instruction and it was sufficient for our kids to pass the written test and get their permits. It is required that they do one lesson with a driving instructor before they can drive with their parents. After the lesson, the instructor stamps and signs their learning permit, so there is no extra piece of paper to lose. It is also required to do 6 hours of driving instruction (3 2-hour lessons), although you can certainly do more than that if desired.
You, as the parents, though, will be doing the bulk of the instruction, as you are required to drive with her for 40 daytime hours and 10 nighttime hours before she can take the driving test.
We used Berkeley Driving School for 5 beginning drivers and had zero problems. I just looked and they still have online scheduling. At the bottom of the picture, above the Facebook symbol, there is a button that says “Schedule a 2-Hour Driving Lesson”. That will take you to the online scheduling site. They have both male and female instructors and you can choose which you want. We have boys and girls and they all used cross-gender instructors and were fine. The men they drove with were not creepy and were competent instructors, but you don’t have to use them. My most recent driver (just got her license in late December) liked Laurie “Dee Dee” Bennett the most of the people she had as instructors. She provided helpful feedback and had a nice manner. Just so you are aware, Dee Fong Putthongvilai is a man.
We found it useful to have one lesson at the beginning, one lesson about half way through the 50 hours, and one lesson right before they were ready to take the test. The instructors do a mock test with you (using the DMV guidelines) and let you know what you need to work on.
We used Berkeley Driving School for on-the-road driver training (We used a different web site for the online material.), mainly because it was convenient. There was online sign up for lots of time slots, so it was easy to schedule. We just used whoever was available. My son says the instructors were fine. They showed up when they were supposed to. The Berkeley Driving School instructors completed the paperwork both after the first 2-hour lesson, and when my son finished all the required lessons. My son did learn to drive pretty well, though he spent many more hours driving with me than with the instructor. I don't know if the instructors were men or women; we didn't care.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Berkeley Driving School - Recent recommendation?
March 2012
Does anyone have any recent experience with Berkeley Driving School? The most recent recommendation is from 2009. I've got a teenager fresh from the DMV w/a permit who needs in-car lessons. I'd like to support a local business if they do a good job. Not sure I'm ready for this
We've used BDS in the past for our older son, and are currently using them for our younger son. I have only good things to say about them. Their online course seemed to be comprehensive and educational, and their behind-the-wheel instructors have been prompt, courteous, informative, and (as far as we can tell) effective. They will pick up at either your home or at BHS for lessons. The owner returns all phone calls they same day. No complaints here. dm
We were very happy w/Berkeley Driving School. Our instructor was Eric, who had really great rapport w/my teen (daughter). We did a refresher lesson about 6 months after licensing as well (where he assured me, mom, that all was fine w/the daughter's skills). Annette, the owner, is very responsive and helpful as well. ~Made it to the Year Mark
March 2004
My 18-year-old finally got his permit, and I wanted to sign him up for driving lessons to save myself the trauma ;-). We had a very good experience with the Berkeley Driving School. I signed him up for four 1-hour lessons. It was very easy doing this over the phone; I spoke with the owner, who was very helpful and friendly. I was able to schedule the first lesson for just a few days later. The instructor was a nice young man who came to our house in a dual-brake training car, and took my son out driving. He taught him all the basics. After the lessons, I rode around in the car with my son driving and almost everything I told him, he said Yeah, the driving teacher told me about that. I really wish I had done this with my first teenage driver - it seems these lessons really sink in better when they are not coming from the parent. I highly recommend doing this. Their website is http://www.berkeleydrivingschool.com
Sept. 2002
This posting is regarding Driving Schools-Education & Training for Teens and the Berkeley Driving School. I read the last postings from other parents regarding the Berkeley Driving Schools and did see that they were from last year. Apparently, the BDS has improved its services. My experience with them went very smoothly and we obtained everything we needed for my teen to obtain his license. He told me that the Driver Education class on Bancroft was informative, he had to study hard because the tests were not multiple choice, the teacher was helpful, and he felt he learned alot from the class to be a safe driver. With the Driver Training appointments, on the first lesson, the instructor was a bit late, but the next two appt he was on time. My son said the instructor was patient, corrected his mistakes productively and clearly, and just had an overall good learning experience. The lady in the office handling the phones was proffesional, nice, and assisted me with all my many questions, and was communicative. I'd recommend the BDS as a efficient school to help teens to get their permit and license. F. N.
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