My child said: "Sandra was very friendly and thoroughly taught me the basics of driving."

Do not use this service if your DMV test timing matters. I booked Bay Cities Driving School's $349 3-Hour DMV Test Car Rental because the pickup time shown when I paid was 1:30 PM for a 3:00 PM DMV road test. That pickup time is the whole reason someone books this package. After payment, they contacted me and said they wanted to change the pickup time to 2:00 PM, with the test still at 3:00 PM. That is a major change to a time-critical service after the customer has already paid. Their justification was that the DMV test only needs to be "at least one hour" after the lesson start time. At least one hour does not mean only one hour, and it absolutely does not justify changing the pickup time after the fact. Anyone who has actually taken a DMV road test knows it usually doesn't take anywhere close to multiple hours. What makes this even more frustrating is that my home is about 17 minutes from the DMV, and they already had my address. After the test, they would have dropped me off nearby anyway. Moving the pickup later didn't benefit the student at all -- it only reduced preparation time while giving the company more buffer on their end. They did end up refunding me, but the experience itself is the problem. The pickup time you see when you book this $349 package is not treated as firm, even though it's central to why people choose it. If you are booking this expecting the schedule shown at checkout to actually mean something, do not use this service. UPDATE (after owner response): I want to address the owner's reply because it does not actually resolve the issue and, in several places, misrepresents both the booking flow and what was communicated to me privately. 1) "Warnings" or "recommendations" are not requirements. A recommendation does not override a booking the business itself allows and charges for. If a pickup time is truly unacceptable, it must be blocked as a requirement at checkout. In my case, the system allowed me to select 1:30 PM, accepted full payment, and only afterward did the business decide that this time was "too early." Taking payment for a selectable time and later saying it shouldn't have been chosen is not transparency. 2) "At least one hour" was later twisted into "only one hour." Privately, I was told that the DMV test needs to be "at least one hour" after the lesson start time. That wording matters. At least one hour does not mean only one hour, and it does not justify changing a customer's pickup time after checkout. If the service is strictly designed around a 30-60 minute window, that needs to be enforced before payment, not reinterpreted afterward. 3) The claim that DMV road tests take 1-2 hours after the scheduled time is exaggerated and unsupported. In normal practice, DMV road tests are brief. While delays can happen, tests themselves rarely run anywhere close to one or two hours past the scheduled time. Using extreme, worst-case scenarios to justify changing a customer's pickup time in advance does not reflect how DMV exams typically operate and shifts inconvenience entirely onto the customer. Planning every booking around hypothetical delays that usually don't happen protects the company's idle time while reducing the customer's preparation time. If an actual delay occurs, it can be handled then -- not preemptively by altering a paid booking. 4) Advance notice does not fix a post-payment change. Being notified ahead of time does not change the fact that a core scheduling term was altered after checkout. The problem is not when I was told -- it's that the pickup time shown when I paid was not treated as firm. 5) A "standard 3-hour flat rate" does not justify changing the start time. A flat-rate window does not excuse modifying the pickup time after payment. Customers book this package specifically because of the pickup time they select. If that time is flexible at the company's discretion, that needs to be stated clearly and unambiguously before checkout. 6) Practical context was ignored. The business had my address and could see that I live about 17 minutes from the DMV. After the test, they would have dropped me off nearby anyway. Using "possible delays" to justify extra buffer time in this situation makes little practical sense. To be clear, I was refunded, and that is appreciated. But the refund does not change the underlying issue. The owner's response confirms my original concern: the pickup time shown at booking is not treated as fixed, and customers only learn that after paying. If you are booking this service expecting the schedule you select at checkout to actually mean something, you should understand how it really works before you pay. read more

This was a horrible experience, and they scammed us out of money to boot. We paid for 3 lessons, $970. In the first "lesson" with Bee, Bee yelled at my 15.5 year old daughter, cursed at her, and berated her for not being an expert driver in the first lesson. She came home traumatized and learned nothing. I emailed the driving school and then they charged me $599 for that single traumatizing experience and only refunded me $370 for the other two lessons. This place is horrible and a total scam. We booked another driving instructor, and he is turning out great, so the problem is definitely is not my daughter. UPDATE: the owner of the Driving School then decided to respond to my review, above, by lying about my daughter and attempting to shame her publicly, ostensibly to try to get me to remove my review. NO WAY, this is highly unprofessional and everyone needs to know to stay far far away!! I will not be bullied and neither should you...don't use this place. Read the other 1-star reviews, this driving school is filled with liars, bullies, and cheats. And, I'm pretty sure the 5-star reviews are fake. read more

Lorenzo was amazing. Our son has truly enjoyed his lessons. Lorenzo provided interesting routes and put our son at ease. HIGHLY recommend. read more

Bay Cities Driving School - Lorenzo ! - Driving Schools Near Me - Menlo Park, California

I had Sandra as my driving instructor, and she was so so helpful! She got there early, she was so sweet, and it felt like I was driving with a friend rather than a judgmental instructor!! She remained calm even when I wasn't, and she really made me feel more comfortable behind the wheel. read more

I had an extremely bad experience with Bay Cities Driving School. My instructor was dismissive, snarky, confusing, and overall an extremely poor teacher. I would highly recommend anyone who has any sensitivities around driving to choose another company. When I booked this class, I had already had two other driving lessons with a different company. Both of those experiences were great. My instructors were calm, experienced, and generally positive. I was even driving on the freeway! My experience at Bay Cities was utterly different - it was a complete nightmare. First, my instructor spent the first half hour of my $200 lesson having me watch Youtube videos, telling me about all the car crashes she had witnessed, and having me observe her as she drove. In my previous lessons, we started with basic, practical driving instructions. I did not appreciate paying $100/hour to watch Youtube videos and listen to stories. Second, when I finally got behind the wheel, my instructor began a constant string of snarky comments and criticisms. She spoke very quickly and her instructions were confusing and hard for me to understand. She also insulted my driving at every opportunity. I understand I'm not the best driver - that's why I'm taking lessons! It was impossible for me to concentrate on driving with the rapid barrage of critique. After one hour of this treatment, I ended the lesson early. I felt I was becoming more upset and demoralized as we continued, and I could not concentrate and drive safely. I did not pay $200 to be yelled at and taught poorly. Based on my other driving lessons, I knew this was not typical behavior for a driving instructor, and I could drive much better with a better instructor. I reached out to Bay Cities Driving School and asked them to either: (A) refund me for half the price of the lesson, or (B) provide me with a 1 hour lesson with a different driving instructor. They said all sales were final, and they could only give me 20% off a new lesson. Overall, this was a very poor experience. I have lost a great deal of money, and as someone who was already nervous about driving this has only made things worse. UPDATE: I read the response by the business owner. As I said above, I understood I was not doing a good job driving due to my poor experience with the instructor and I chose to end the lesson early. Bee Tran's constant insults, grabbing the wheel, and confusing instructions made it impossible for me to drive safely. My only correction is that I pulled over at the side of the street to end my lesson and not in the middle of traffic. I did my best in a challenging situation. I believe the business owner's cold response below perfectly illustrates my experience with this company. read more

My daughter Charlotte said that Sandra was so kind and patient when teaching her the basics. She is so wonderful and helped me come comfortable behind the wheel. read more

Very unethical and disrespect the client's time. Cancelled twice in a row literally last minute right before the lesson started. They will charge full price if client cancels but they can cancel us all they want last minute? Once is bad enough, twice is just HORRIBLE BUSINESS. read more

Bay Cities Driving School - They canceled twice in a row right before the lesson started! Very disrespectful of client's time! - Driving Schools Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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I had the worst experience of my entire life with my first lesson with Bee Tran. I cannot believe that she is qualified to be a driving instructor. She spent the first 30 minutes talking so fast and using so many different terms that I had no idea what they meant and she never even stopped to ask me any questions and to make sure I understood anything. And then we went straight to the streets and I even told her that l've only driven on the streets only once before, but for the entire 2 hours she was yelling at me and belittling me for every single mistake and I was so close to crying. Her explanations were rapid-fire and overly technical, making it impossible to focus on the actual act of driving. She never gave me space to ask questions, never reassured me, and never once made me feel safe in the car. It was so hard to focus on driving while trying to focus on what she's saying in the terms that I don't understand all while trying to process my emotions. At one point, I made a mistake, and instead of calmly explaining what I had done wrong, she exclaimed, with obvious attitude, saying, "What you just did right there, girl -- don't ever do that again." This company states that "Every student is different. We tailor our approach to individual needs and skill levels. Our goal is to build confidence for both passing the DMV test and safe long-term driving." My experience could not have been further from that. Bee's conduct throughout the lesson was egregious and unconscionable, creating an unnecessarily hostile and demoralizing environment that destroyed, rather than built, my confidence. I left feeling shaken, humiliated, and far less confident than when I started. If this is what they consider "tailoring to individual needs" or "building confidence," then they are failing miserably. I cannot believe she is qualified to be a driving instructor. I hope she gets fired. I would strongly urge any new driver -- especially beginners -- to not select Bee Tran. This was not just unhelpful; it was traumatizing. read more

I had a really wonderful experience taking my first ever driving lesson with Bradley! Bradley did a FANTASTIC job explaining everything that I would need to know and refreshing me on the basics! He gave me tips whenever we came to a convenient stopping/instructional point or whenever pertinent. He also took the time to answer any questions that I had thoroughly and without judgment. A fantastic instructor. I went in as an absolute beginner (with a good amount of anxiety towards driving) and walked away from the lesson quite happy with my progress. I got through almost all of the material covered on the driving test on just day one. Super proud and incredibly happy with my experience! Verdict: 10/10 :D read more

Alex was a wonderful driving instructor for my daughter. He taught her a lot, was very patient and helped her become comfortable driving for the first time. read more

My 18 year old daughter was not very enthused about getting behind the wheel. I called Bay Cities and booked lessons for her to not only learn how to drive, also to get over her jitters with driving. Her instructor was Bee. She was a great teacher, very patient and made learning to drive for my daughter fun. Her sense of humor will put any nervous student at ease. Highly recommend. read more

Working with Bay Cities was easy from start to finish. Nikki made the process simple and answered any questions we had when we first reach out. My daughter had her lessons with Jeffrey. He is patient, and kind. He spoke with me and gave me insight at their first lesson. Which really set my daughter, husband and myself at ease. The process was flawless, Jeffrey was fantastic and we will be reaching out to Bay Cities again in the future! read more

In meeting Bee for our son's first driving lesson, she instilled confidence and assurance to us. Our son was so nervous prior to his first lesson and Bee was able to adjust the situation. He experienced a great first time driving lesson on the road and we (as parents) also learned from Bee's experience on how driving techniques have changed over the decades. We are impressed by her background and how she introduced the way new drivers should be driving nowadays along with real world experience. Looking forward next driving lessons with Bee. read more

Sandra Johnson is a driver instructor from heaven. She got my teen to respect and appreciate the responsibilities of driving. My teen (who's typically suspicious of adults and people of authority - or maybe it's just me) really LOVED her and specifically requested to meet with her again for the follow up lessons as well. Amazing! read more

Lorenzo was a great teacher and always showed up on time. My son felt comfortable learning from him and received a great foundation for his first time behind the wheel. read more

My daughter attended three driving lessons with instructor Bee, each on three separate days. From the moment we first met Bee, she immediately put both my husband and me at ease--it was clear our daughter would be in safe hands and receive excellent instruction. Bee's knowledge and professionalism stood out instantly; she breaks down concepts in a clear, easy-to-remember way that resonates with learners. I'm forever grateful for her guidance in helping my daughter, Jocelyn, build confidence behind the wheel. If you're looking for a top-notch instructor, Bee comes highly recommended! read more

Both of my children have used Bay Cities now. We are really happy with the driving instructors. My son is learning from Jeffery right now. Jeffery is patient, kind, and offers helpful hints throughout the lesson. Nikki made the process so easy and helped us book our appointments that worked for our schedule. I highly recommend Bay Cities! read more

I had a wonderful experience with Sandra! She's awesome and it's been a pleasure driving with her! She's very good at explaining I just felt so comfortable being with her! read more

My daughter just had her first lesson with Alex. He was patient and thorough in his explanations. After the lesson he spent time with her to reinforce what she needs to work on. He built her confidence and now she feels ready to get on the road. read more

Great experience with the instructors. Bee in particular was incredibly helpful and diligent in her instruction with our child. She really took the time to make sure he has the skills to be a safe driver. read more

My son just had our first lesson with Bee and it was great! Scheduling was very easy on the BCD website. Bee was prompt and set my son at ease. He said that he felt very comfortable driving with her, she was very easy and fun to talk to and taught him a lot in just the first lesson. She clearly is very experienced and knows her stuff. I highly recommend! read more

I highly recommend Bay Cities for driving lessons! From the start, lessons were easy to schedule thanks to Nikki's excellent support. All the instructors we worked with - Sandra, Cesar, and Lorenzo - were all great and prepared my teen to pass his behind-the-wheel test. We are grateful for the instruction and support my teen received! read more

My driving instructor Lorenzo was super nice and understanding! Definitely recommend him:)))

Bee was fun to be around and she gave me solid advice including ways to study and prepare for the test! Thank you Bee!

We live in San Jose area, but we have chosen this Bay cities Driving school for solely One reason Their Customer Service. Nikki was Excelled Customer service!! being patient and understand where the Parents point of view and needs. My son took the three lessons which is Group Behind wheel sessions. Right afterward He was schedule to do actual test. And passed !!! with 6 wrong. Bay cities DS truly cares about their student Succes. Thank you so much for all your hard work. read more

My daughter took driving lessons with Bee and loved her sessions. She's so nice and patient!

I was scared of driving because I was nervous behind the wheel. I needed someone to make me feel comfortable and safe. I worked with Sandra, and she was AMAZING!! She made me feel confident and believe that I could drive again. She was patient, answered all my questions, and relaxed, but she was also very careful about all my driving details. I highly recommend her!! read more

Just passed my test. I worked with Bee for the 3 lessons and she was great. Very kind, detail oriented, and straight up about what you need to work on. Leaves many online resources with you after the lessons that help you understand. read more

Thanks to bee I was able to pass my driving test on my first try! She gave me lots of tips for driving techniques and safety rules to help ensure myself to pass the exam. I am extremely grateful for bees patience and helping me feel comfortable and confident in my driving! read more

The school is very organized and professional. Ask for Bea. She is a great teacher! She helped our student feel very comfortable behind the wheel. read more

My instructor was Bee, she was very patient and changed my bad driving habits despite my frustration. Pass at san mateo DMV first try with one error only. read more

BayCity is awesome. They are organized and appreciate strong communication. Bee was very thorough with follow-up texts with driving suggestions and help. read more

I've used Bay Cities twice for my 2 daughters, 2 years apart. One of my daughters just completed her sessions with Sandra and everything went seamless. I was able to book all our sessions when we wanted, of course giving them a few weeks in advance notice. They are very responsive, accommodating, and communicative. I will definitely be using them again for my youngest when the time comes. read more

Sandra was AMAZING!! She turned driving from a stressful experience to one where I felt empowered and ready for everything behind the wheel. She ran me through the exact process of the driving test and I couldn't feel more ready for my behind the wheel test coming up soon. She is so warm and sweet and knows how to make you feel more relaxed while also staying on top of every single detail of your driving. I 100% recommend that amazing woman!! read more

Our teenage son just received his driver's license today after completing his training with Bay Cities Driving School. Everything about our experience with the school was great. Karla communicated via text and was super responsive at all hours and was very helpful in explaining all requirements and steps. We were facing an imminent deadline to get the driver's license and Karla helped us schedule appointments early enough to give us some buffer. Moe was our son's trainer. Moe was very thorough and thoughtful about safety and test readiness. Moe provided plenty of constructive feedback and recommended some videos that were very helpful for our son. read more

My driving instructor was Bee. I found Bay Cities Driving School through a co-worker. I called and was able to book lessons for my brother. She was patient enough to answer all of my questions and explained what my brother needed to learn before the test. She gets straight to point and was clear on her instructions. I also received updates and my brother had so much fun and he is excited for his test. I would highly recommend Bee. read more

My experience went amazing with instructor Bee Tran. She was patient with my daughter and made her learning experience comfortable and enjoyable. My daughter said she felt ready and passed her driving test first try ! read more

I highly recommend Bay Cities and Instructor Sandra. She was so kind and patient with my daughter which helped her build her confidence. She enjoyed her lessons and had fun! Sandra was great!! read more

I had Sandra Johnson as my instructor. I was very scared to learn how to drive because I wasn't too good at it and after voicing my concerns about that to Sandra on the first lesson she was understanding and patient with me. However she also called me on my mistakes as well and made sure that I learned to fix them and improve. For the other two lessons I improved little by little and overall I had a blast. Sandra is a joy to have in the passengers seat and a great conversationalist. Definitely would recommend to pick her as your instructor if you get the chance. read more