Assi is amazing. He's calm, the lessons are appropriately paced, and I felt his pricing was fair. He taught both of my boys the fundamentals and both passed their test with flying colors on the first exam. I have also recommended him to a few other folks and their kid's also had great experiences and passed their first time. That all said, I think there are some expectations to set. Assi communicates via texting. If your expectation is a fancy online school where you can book your hours via self-service, etc...this is not that. You text Assi, he replies, you figure out your lesson, he shows up and the work gets done. So...I think if your expectations are great lessons from an experienced instructor without the frills of websites and booking systems, then you found your driving company. read more

If you have an anxious kid, there is absolutely no other driving teacher to consider. Period. Thank you for your kindness and patience read more

Awful human being!! I paid $250 for driving lessons only to find out my younger brother was not eligible to get a driver's license based on his immigration status at the time. I immediately reached out to Shahriar Assi, the owner, and asked for a refund. But he wouldn't refund the money, even though my brother did not take a single lesson with him. I explained I had just gotten laid off and really needed the money, but every time I called him, he'd pretend he was busy and ask me to call him in the future. Eventually he refunded $100 and but that was after so many calls and after literally begging him to do the right thing... Edit: Responding to owner - yes 1000% sure it was you. I have your contact info and detail in my phone. You don't remember asking me to come to the Starbucks in Burlingame and wrote me a check for $100? You said you sympathize with the Palestinian cause and were giving me a refund when normally there is no refunds. You had me drive to Burlingame only to to be handed a check for $100 instead of the full $250. Shame on you! read more

Very organized and responsive for setting up driving times. Very nice person and qualified.

My younger daughter passed her permit test and was ready for her initial session with an instructor. I signed her up with Assi. He was responsive to me and my daughter via text. He arrived early for his session and took my daughter around town for her two-hour driving session. She returned feeling very confident and it was a GREAT start for her as a new driver. She is excited to gain more experience on the road, so she is driving me around town almost every day. As a parent to have a teen take the wheel for the first time with someone capable like Assi, alleviates a lot of worry. I recommended him to another friend's daughter who passed her permit test and was ready for her first driving session. I will update after she does freeway work and when she earns her driver's license ... stay tuned! read more

By far i couldn't believe how bad the communication and client service was with this Driving School. I contacted Mr. Assi two months in advance and was only communicating by text which was a bit odd to me. I successfully scheduled three lessons via text. I had to cancel the first two because he had scheduled them in the evening when it was pouring rain and i didn't want to have my daughter have her first lessons in pouring rain. We retained the third one which was confirmed once again via only text. When I wrote the day of the driving lesson to confirm time and that he would be providing the car, he did not have on the schedule nor was willing or able to schedule any future lessons in the month of December. The way it was handled was extremely unprofessional. There is no website or ability to contact except via text. I chose this school because of the rave reviews on Yelp but couldn't even get that far since his ability to properly manage scheduling is at an all time low. read more

I can't praise Mr. Assi and Annex driving school highly enough. Mr Assi is an excellent teacher. As a nervous learner, he pushed me just enough each lesson to learn a huge amount but not put me in overly stressful situations where I would stop taking it all in. He built my confidence very well. In practical terms he answers phone messages very quickly, and responds to texts too. I was prepared to pay for extra lessons but he told me when I was ready for the test instead of taking my money - very honest and fair. I passed my test on the first attempt, and I have since recommended him to friends who also passed. As a bonus he's very pleasant man and our conversations were always interesting. read more

My sister and I had a great experience! Mr. Assi is a very good driving instructor and I am now confident in taking my test. He will ensure you will pass the first try and does his best to show you everything you need in order to do so and become a great driver because he is very knowledgeable. Highly recommend! read more

Assi is amazing! Called to get details and he was very professional and personable. He text me details and set up a date n time immediately! The 2 hour class was for my senior father who needed to do the road test to get his driver license back (he failed the road test once before). Assi was very understanding and supportive to the fact that my elder father takes criticism differently and was very sensitive to that. My dad passed with ZERO MISTAKES!! He said the main thing that made him pass was Assi! THANK YOU!! read more

Mr. Assi is a *wonderful* instructor -- makes you feel confident, capable and relaxed while going through the process of learning all the basics. He also takes you on the exact route the DMV uses during the test, so it really helps to prepare you for the test. You can't go wrong with this choice. read more

Mr. Assi is a great driving teacher. He is very professional and knows how to help new drivers feel confident behind the wheel. He worked with both of my kids and they both passed their driving test on their first try. I highly recommend him. read more

A well deserved 4 star for Mr. Assi. I took my required 3 lessons with Mr. Assi as a teen driver. For those 3 lessons, I am very thankful for him. Admittedly, I'm not the best driver, (My friends will hold that over my head because I put it in writing). But especially first starting out, I was very nervous as a driver. Mr. Assi was a very chill guy, able to help me relax when I was first learning how to drive. There are a lot of stories that I have about screwing up during driving. I almost got hit by a 12 wheeler the first time I went on the freeway and with the help of Mr. Assi I was able to come through alive! In general he always came through, always knew how to react in every situation and how to best handle everything, especially when I had no idea what to do or how to do it. If you are just learning how to drive, Mr. Assi is for you/ read more

Mr. Assi is great. He makes sure the entire lesson is calm, and answers any question you have. He taught all 3 of my daughters over 7 years. he knows exactly what is on the test and prepares you well for it. He was prompt to lessons, and my daughters felt safe in the car with him. It is a little bit difficult to understand what he is saying at times, but he is always willing to repeat it if you ask. I would definitely send my kids to him again. read more

Asi is an excellent and patient instructor! He kindly pushed me just manageably beyond what I thought I could do with each lesson, but the result ended up being very comfortable and educational! Asi has a good instinct for what the student is ready for. I owe him many thanks. read more

I really enjoyed my sessions with Mr. Assi. He is very calm and relaxed which are necessary qualities in an instructor. He is also very knowledgeable about what is on a driver's test and have me tips on how to succeed on it. I definitely feel more confident going into my driver's test than if I would have not had any classes. read more

Mr. assi was a wonderful driving instructor, very professional, patient and knowledgeable about the driving test. Thanks to annex Driving School I passed my first test read more

Good Teacher He takes interest and really helps in building your confidence. Would recommend him.

I had a great experience with the Annex Driving school and I would 100% recommend. My instructor was very detailed with instructions and taught me everything I needed to know, along with stuff that wasn't on my test. I was able to learn how to safely drive in a matter of weeks thanks to the incredible service. read more

I signed up for the 6-lesson package (2 hours per lesson, total 12 hours) with the Annex Driving School more than a month ago. Assi was my driving instructor and let me tell you, you can not go wrong learning how to drive with him. He is a gentleman, a great teacher, and knows exactly how hard to push. In addition, he is a great conversationalist who will make every one of your lessons very enjoyable, and always arrive early before each one of your lessons. He even referred me to other essential professionals in life (such as insurance agent, lawyer...etc) to help me settle into life in the Bay Area. As for the content of the 6-lesson package, they are very comprehensive. He lets you get comfortable with steering, acceleration, and braking (the 3 elements) first, and then transition to reverse, parking, lane switch, stop sign recognition (2-way, 3-way, 4-way/all-way), freeway driving, and also parallel parking(!!!!!). I was amazed that parallel parking was so easy when I follow his procedure. For my last lessons, I drove in the hilly areas of Hillsborough, which really helped to build my confidence on the road. After the lessons, I was basically prepared to take the DMV behind the wheel exam. I only made two errors out of the allowable 15, and I did not make any exam-failing errors, at my first try!! Assi really helps to train you as a safe driver, not just prepare you for the DMV test. I highly recommend this driving school to all! read more

I had a 3 day driving lesson from this school. Mr. Assi is a really good teacher! very friendly and proffessional. He helped build my confidence on the road. He is very intensive in teaching. I was very happy with the lessons and we became good friends too. If you are looking for a good driving instructor, choose this school! read more

Driving has been a source of major anxiety for me since I turned 16. Prior to finally signing up with Annex at the age of 22, I had gone through 3 lapsed driver's permits and 2 different behind-the-wheel training agencies without ever getting far enough to even attempt to get my license. All that changed when I signed up with Annex. I found the school through its Yelp reviews, and was immediately put at ease talking to Assi on the phone. He scheduled a lesson with me for a few days later, and from the get go things began to go better. Assi is a patient, experienced, and knowledgable teacher, and he knows exactly how hard to push. He gave me confidence, and lots of encouragement. He was flexible with the scheduling of appointments and made it extremely easy to arrange the training around my schedule. He is also an excellent conversationalist, and the value of this cannot be overstated! With previous teachers I had felt uncomfortable in the awkward silence of the training rides; not so with Assi, who kept the hours of every lesson full of things to talk about. Needless to say, I passed the behind-the-wheel exam on my first try, with only 3 points off of the allowable 15. Assi made sure I was more than prepared. He was available to answer questions even outside of the hours of our lessons. I cannot reccommend Annex Driving School enough. Regardless of your age or comfort level, Assi will suit his lessons to you and make sure you get the training and practice you need to pass the drive test with flying colors! read more

Assi is very helpful when it comes to the knowledge of driving and what will be on the test. My twin sister & I both passed on our first try. There were a few incidents of Assi lacking professionalism and going too in depth into me & my sisters personal life. He claimed that my sister and I were "always pissed off" during our second session with him after my sister refused to let him drop her off 30 minutes early from her lesson. After this incident, my family called Assi and he repeatedly denied saying this to my sister which showed his lack of professionalism and honesty. He also talks very highly of himself and of his students which can be a bit agitating when first learning how to drive (ex. Mentioning every student that he has taught in your area and showing you where they live if you pass ). Other than the comments about our & Assi's shared ethnicity, he was very knowledgeable about driving and will set you up for success in terms of taking your test (you may just need to bite your tongue after a few of his comments to get it though). Sir, I was "late" because I am a college student and had classes on the opposite side of campus (I did ask if you could pick me up closer and you refused). Nobody's perfect, but harassing your customers on Yelp is not the way to create a better business. I also gave you three stars so I think you can understand that I did appreciate your service, and am just speaking upon my personal experience as your student. Wish the best for you. read more

Patient, kind, knowledgeable and calmer than I could ever be in this lifetime. My son passed the driver's test on the first try! Thanks Annex! read more

This review is long over due. I scheduled behind the wheel training for my teenage son months ago. He obtained his license on his first test at the DMV and I'd like to say it was because of the confidence Mr. Assi brought out in my son. Mr. Assi is a great instructor and great communicator. I highly recommend him. read more

Mr. Assi is awesome! I have had a drivers license for almost 40 years, but never drove. I lived in cities (Boston, NY) where it was problematic to own a car and there was great public transportation -- AND where learning how to drive (in MANHATTAN?) was scary. Then I moved to California. I HATED not knowing how to drive....it had become a source of high anxiety -- and here I had to learn. My husband taught me basic (pretty well!). I tried another driving school (I won't name the name....but I found on Yelp). I didn't really learn anything and he never returned my follow-up calls for a second lesson. SIGH. Time to turn to Yelp again to find an alternative. I found Mr. Assi. I asked for 6 lessons. He (fairly) thought 3 would be enough. Mr. Assi is a great teacher. He discerned in our first lesson what I already knew, listened to what I told him I NEEDED to learn, and (quietly) put together the right curriculum for me. He taught me what I needed to learn, built my confidence, pushed me when I needed to be pushed (gently). I just finished our last lesson, which included the freeway, changing lanes, parallel parking galore, lights -- I BELIEVE with practice I will continue to be an even better driver. He gave me the skills and foundation. Don't hesitate -- work with him. Mary M. read more

Assi (who owns Annex Driving School) is the best it gets on the peninsula. He's an amazing driver with perfect reflexes, who knows how to teach you the right way. His easy-to-follow explanations and patience make learning a real treat, and he's dedicated to making every student pass. Thank you so much for all your help, Assi! read more

Learning to drive here was a great experience. At age 15, I was nervous in the beginning, but was taught many important skills, some of which my friends did not even learn with other driving schools. I was able to build confidence and learn all the necessary skills to earn my liscense upon turning 15. It was an all around great experience, and would recommend Annex Driving School to any new driver. read more

That famous blue car up and down FC is no other than.. Assi! Assi is definitely one of the favorites parents go to for professional behind the wheel instructions around here. He definitely made our sons feel comfortable and safe during their driving sessions which helped boost their confidence behind the wheel. He is also very flexible with scheduling. Not only did he go out of his way to accommodate our crazy schedules more than once, he made sure our son was ready for the actual test even if it meant doing a lesson at 6AM! This is our second time around with Assi and we look foward to working with him again when our youngest one is due for lessons. We highly recommend Assi!!! read more

Mr Assi is by far the best instructor!! He makes you feel comfortable and boosts your confidence. He is flexible, pleasant, communicative, a real gentleman, and the lessons with him are very interesting. I strongly recommend him Lena C. read more

This is my first time ever writing any review for anyone. I feel great and at the same time feeling anxious as i have to be honest and should not mislead anyone who is reading my review in future. Well the best 3 things about Mr. Assi the instructor was the from beginning itself. I had an amazing experience when he first picked up my call and spoken so well as if he knew me and my background already. Really helps the other person to feel at ease and get the conversation going. That's number one and I cannot thank him enough how he accommodated my request to get the class started next day itself. Then comes the timeliness. He was 5-10 mins early standing outside my door, feel so good as i was ditched by another driving school few days earlier. Third is the way he teaches you from step one to the last. He understands where you are coming from and respects your background. Very patient and boosted my confidence level when i was doubtful about myself sometimes. He applauds when you do good and remain silent but not scold/abuse you when you do wrong which is more than enough to understand that you did wrong. very very patient and empathetic person. Thank you Mr. Assi. I will always remain grateful for your help in bringing me closer to my new car i bought. Dream made possible. Tenzin read more

this review is long overdue and to be honest i was worried about writing a review because of what happened with Olga (see her review below). I took my required 3 lessons with him and on the first day, he was very calm and kind at first. My dad previously tried to teach me so I was a bit familiar with driving but obviously I still needed to learn a lot more. we drove to foster city and did a few basic stuff, but when it came to parallel parking he started getting extremely angry and would huff a lot and get very angry. It was frustrating that he was getting frustrated with me and it made me cry. He asked if I wanted to quit to which I said no because I don't give up so easily. he then offered me a cough drop to "calm me down" to which I politely refused but he insisted I take it. Second day basically the same thing happened, he got really frustrated when I couldn't master something the first time which made me upset. Third lesson, was driving on the freeway. It was really difficult to schedule time with him, he had weekends free but wouldn't give me any time on the weekends because he had to save those for new students. We finally got an appointment at night during the week, and it was raining pretty hard. I had to drive on the freeway and it was terrifying - I couldn't see anything and it was really scary. I was so relieved when the lessons were finally over. tl;dr: if you're gonna go with annex driving school, just hope you end up like the people who raved about him. i guess it could go either way, but I definitely had a terrible terrible experience and I still don't feel comfortable driving EDIT: just read the owner's reply! unprofessional, immature and playing the blame game. I continued the training with you because I have this "commitment" and "discipline" that you so highly speak of for yourself. I am currently a student at a prestigious university so clearly I have these qualities. I also passed my driver's test the first time (with no help from you) so clearly I am doing quite alright. How dare you come and attack me instead of reflecting on how you might have done better! I took the lessons very seriously - I was paying good money for them! PARENTS AND STUDENTS READING: STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE AND THIS MAN!!! He is a bully, if you don't have a good experience and/or leave a good review he will bully you and blame you instead. IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE, ADD YOUR REVIEW! This man doesn't deserve 5 stars, and don't be afraid of being bullied! He needs to be stood up to! read more

Assi, was really nice at first. When I met him my mom dropped me off. He didn't even come out and meet my mom. That was first red flag to me. I got I the car I asked him can I warm up around the block? He said no. It helps me feel comfortable. He said I wasn't listening. I hard time understanding is language because he had something in his mouth. He claimed I was racist because I couldn't understand him he was speaking so fast. I couldn't understand him. I told him I had some learning challenges. He would say good job. Then go crazy on me. He gaslighted me few times. I told can we please turn off the classical music? He turned it off then he turned back on. He said he never did. I watched him. This man should not be driving teacher and not very respectful at all. He has bipolar. He said I was difficult personal. He made me cry 2 times at least. I wanted to go back early and he wasn't getting what I was saying. He wanted me to keep driving. He was cussing me off in his language he is speaking... I couldn't wait for my driving day to be over. He wanted to know about my personal life. I didn't share much with him. I tried to pay him at the end. He didn't want my money at all. It's because he is racist. Don't ever take driving school from assi. He needs help and mentally not stable at all. I don't have a review him at all. I was supposed to driving school today but he canceled because I was calling him out. He doesn't like it and he goes apeshit on you. Best of luck assi read more

Assi was amazing with my 16-year old daughter. She was nervous and fearful about driving, but Assi's kind and patient teaching style was just what she needed to help her overcome these reservations. He seemed to know just what skills required work, without being pushy. He is very respectful, always on time, and quick in responding to communications. I have two older sons and had been through the driver training process with them just a few years ago. Assi was far superior to their instructors in every way! Her last training session was the day before her driver's test and when he found out the location I had scheduled for her exam, he suggested an alternate (which was closer). He even drove her down to his suggested location and was able to get her a test appointment for the next day (something I thought was unheard of!). She passed her test with flying colors and has confidence in her abilities. read more

Assi was a great teacher! He was very helpful with getting prepared for my drivers test and gave me pointers I needed! would recommend Assi to anyone looking for a driving teacher because hes a great teacher!! read more

I had a fantastic time and the teacher was a huge help. He really taught me a lot of essentials about driving. Overall a great experience and really fortunate for such a great teacher. read more

I am surprised by all the good reviews. I did not post one until my son got a driver license. Assi has a bad temperament. We did not teach our son driving before he took his first lesson with Assi. I know that many parents start teaching their children early. We wanted to do everything by the book and thought that the instructor, who is licensed to teach, will do a better (or more correct) job than we will. First lesson out of three. Assi and my teenage son drive away. Later, my teenager shared that Assi got mad at him and punched the roof of the car while swearing. Then chilled down. What could have prompted such a reaction? Should an instructor understand that a first time (rally first time!) driving is stressful? I would expect so. They drove the same path 2 times which gives a first-time driver some sense of safety and confidence. Yes, he can drive and navigate the car. Hooray! Then they went the third time and Assi did not give my son instructions to turn onto the same road he was turning the first two times. When my son turned to that road, Assi told him that he should follow his instructions and not to do anything until he is told to. So far, so good. Then, a block down, my son turns again to follow the same familiar path (without instructions). Not good, but I can understand a first-time driver even though I am not a driving instructor. This is when Assi got mad and punched the roof of the car and swore in a foreign language. He then apologized and all went to normal. There were several other incidents which I am not going to write about because they are long to explain. I would not have chosen Assi if I knew his unbalanced character. Adding on 10/25/16 (afternoon): Today Assi called me and humbly asked to remove the review because he was a good teacher to my son. I said that I am willing to speak with my son and will edit my review to include more positive feedback but I will not remove it because it happened and this is the truth. This is when Assi once again demonstrated his character. Assi told me that if I refuse to remove the review, he will file a defamation lawsuit against me. He said his lawyer will contact me. I told him that threats are not acceptable and that I am going to edit my review and let people know who they may be dealing with. I hung up. Assi called me again and again and again. I answered and asked him to stop harassing me and to stop calling me. Then he called or texted my son. Then texted me. It was absolutely surreal. I asked him again in writing to stop harassing me and my son. He then kept pursuing him. Then texting me. I think I will have to file a restraining order against Assi. Adding on 10/25/16 (9 PM): I just received a notification that Assi has posted a comment in response. I will not correct his message, but parents looking for a driving school, please see Assi's comment and how it describes another parent and make conclusions for yourselves. If you post a negative review, the same will be written about you. I can understand now why there are no negative reviews about Assi's business. He bullies people and threatens them with a lawsuit. They remove their reviews. Assi, are you saying that you did not get mad and did not punch the roof of the car while swearing? Are you saying this did not happen? We both know it did. Every parent of a teenager reading this review understands why I did not call Assi after he behaved this way with my son. And by the way, I wanted to withdraw my son from your school after the first lesson, but you charge for 3 lessons upfront and my son doesn't like confrontations. Today Assi called me at least 8 times during my work day, wrote numerous text messages, called my teenage son at least twice asking him to influence me (consider that!). Just think if you want this person teaching your child and if you want this person harass you if, God forbid, you write the truth about his service. read more

Mr. Assi is really chill and a good teacher. He taught me from scratch by letting me drive in local neighborhoods for a couple of times until I got used to driving naturally! After that, he taught me everything needed for the behind-the-wheel test and gave me some useful driving tips. Overall, he made the hard parts easy. read more

Mr. Assi is an amazing teacher. He is very calm and willing to help whenever you have a question. He will review the basic concepts with you every now and then to make sure you know the rules and will tell you what to expect when you take the driving test. Overall, Mr. Assi is a very nice and helpful teacher who will make sure you are comfortable driving. read more

The instructor was very kind and helpful in instructing me to drive safely and efficiently. The instructor was very good company and provided great hospitality. would reccomend read more

Assi's instruction system may be one of the most balanced systems I have ever had the fortune to encounter. There will be no child left behind with this man backseat driving, as he maintains the perfect mixture of liberation and guiding intervention. A true gentlemen, It would be nigh impossible to feel uncomfortable in the duration of your education. I give this, however much weight my name or voice carries, a complete 5 star experience, and sincerely hope you consider Annex driving school for your preliminary training. read more