After speaking to him over the phone last Wednesday, Mr. Silva said he can go ahead and squeeze my son in Tuesday (today) and Thursday 7am. I told him we could not do it Tuesday but he continued on to say he had nothing else available. I asked if other instructors had different availability and he went on to say that's the best he can do because I was booking short notice and "everything is booked for months". We accepted, moved work/personal schedules around to be available for this and cut my son's trip short by two days so he can be well rested for this morning's lesson. Less than an hour before first lesson Mr . Silva canceled. Again I asked if he was the only instructor we can book with he quickly said he can refund our money. My guess is this "school" is one man and his car...? Anyway, I guess it's not a problem for a family with an open schedule but beware, he is pushy and seems somewhat aggressive. Very unprofessional. read more

Pasadena Driving School-the Best - Driving Schools Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

I had booked an appointment for driving classes for my daughter. And was sent a link to pay in full via text. I phoned to ask Ricardo Gonzales Silva if it would be possible to pay in person either at his office or the day of the test. He got very angry and told me that if I didn't pay through the text message link. That I should not waste his time and that I should find a different driving school. And he hung up on me. He was very angry and rude. I am very glad my daughter will not be taking lessons with him. He seems like an awful person. He was so angry. He didn't even let me speak. I actually found a driving school with somebody really nice. And at the same price. you shouldn't have to sacrifice and go with some angry old man just to get a good price. Just like he kept repeating you like the price huh but call a different company just before he hung up. Well yes. I did go with a different company. That's nice and the same price. Ha ha. read more

Just passed my behind the wheel test thanks to Ricardo. He makes you feel confident and relaxed during the lessons, and I looked forward to our driving lessons! Highly recommend this driving school! read more

After my son failed his first driving test at Pasadena DMV, we decided to looking into a new driving school for him. After discussing our situations to the friendly receptionist from Pasadena Driving school, we were assigned with their most experienced driving instructor Richardo Gonzalez Silva. Upon purchase of 3 lessons package, I also emailed them my son's score sheet from his failed driving test, honestly I doubted they would even look at it. The next day, Richardo showed up 10 mins earlier at my house. To my surprise, he was well prepared, not only he already reviewed my son's score sheet, he also had plans on what to work on. My son enjoyed his time spent with Richardo, he came home with a BIG smile on his face and told me Richardo even let him get on the FWY for the first time. He regained his confidence in driving and passed his next driving test with an almost perfect score. We're very very happy with Pasadena Driving School, only regret was we didn't look into it sooner. read more

I had zero experience and learned A to Z of driving from Ricardo and passed with only 3 errors. He is very patient, knowledgeable, professional and friendly. He teaches all the aspects of driving in a stress free and fun way. Unlike others, he didn't ask me to sign up for more lessons that I didn't need, I also got free way lessons as well without any extra charges. I highly recommend Ricardo and Kaparis Driving School for any age group irrespective of previous knowledge/experience. Also, the best value for your money in the town and around. read more

The owner of this business, Ricardo, asked to remove my previous review, as he felt that it was "defamation." I admit to using colorful language to describe my interaction with him, so I will amend that here. The reasons that I cannot recommend this business are as follows: My 15 year old daughter worked very hard to complete the online portion of her drivers test. I personally witnessed her putting hours of work into it, and was very proud of her fine efforts. When she was finished, the website screen read as follows "Congratulations! You have successfully completed the final test. You will receive your completion certificate in the US Mail in a few days. Thank you for taking the course and drive safely!" My daughter was thrilled. When I contacted the office to discuss next steps, I was told by Ricardo that my daughter had not completed the course, and that she would not be receiving credit. I was baffled. When I asked how this was possible, when I had personally watched her do the course, I was told by Ricardo that they had no record of it. I showed him the screen shot of the completion message, and he said that didn't count. He then accused me and my daughter of lying, and became verbally abusive. I would like to say that I refrained from similar language, but I can't. This man was so rude to my teenaged daughter (who is a straight A student and exemplary kid) and myself, that I became furious. I regret losing my composure in front of my daughter, but this man was absolutely impossible to deal with. The fee for the course was refunded. Ricardo later told my wife that I had defamed him on Yelp and that I needed to remove my previous review. In hindsight, I see that I did let my anger color my review, so I have posted this one instead. In closing, I found the experience to be extremely distressing, and Ricardo's behavior as a businessman to be deeply unprofessional. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this business to anyone. read more

Ricardo is a very punctual and instructive tutor. I would recommend Kaparis school to anyone planning to take their driving test in a few weeks read more

I came to this school about a year ago after I spent two months with another instructor who made the driving lessons feel like hell. The instructor Ricardo is very skilled, patient and supportive. He restored my self-confidence and taught me a lot of valuable things that I use now in my daily driving. He paid attention to my mistakes and focused on teaching me how to fix them without making me feel bad about them. And contrary to other instructors, he didn't drag me into taking more lessons that I didn't need and he was honest with me and let me know when I was ready to take the driving test. He is also a very nice man. I enjoyed chatting with him while driving which made the driving lessons more fun instead of a heavy duty that I would want to get over with. read more

I learned how to drive through this school. Ricardo was always very professional and on time, and I enjoyed the lessons and drives with him because he's very friendly and has a lot of stories and you won't even realize 2 hours already passed behind the wheel! I got my license after driving with him for a span of 2-3 weeks, and when the time came for my exam at the DMV he and his wife were very supportive and drove me to the place and I passed! I highly recommend this driving school for any ages, not only for the unbeatable price but for the valuable lessons you will get from Ricardo. read more

I just passed on my first try today! That was so awesome! Ricardo was very helpful and he was extremely calm and patient during our lessons. I feel so great and confident taking the driving test! Highly recommended! Thank you so much!! read more

I passed on my first try! Ricardo taught me how to drive and how to pass the test in 10 hours! That is an amazing feat in my opinion, as I have never driven any cars until I drove his. He's very punctual and serious about teaching students how to drive safely. He has a lot of faith on his students, and he only takes you on the freeway only if he thinks you're ready for it. He doesn't make you feel bad about making mistakes. One time I freaked out because I saw a police officer and he said, "He's your friend." He's funny that way. He makes each lessons fun by helping you relax. At the same time, he tells you what you're doing wrong and how to fix it. By the way, his wife's accent has NOTHING to do with how Ricardo teaches students. They are two different people and it's Ricardo that teaches the students, not her. I don't understand why some people rate the quality of teaching based on accents. It doesn't make sense. read more

This place has the worst phone etiquette. Receptionist does not answer during business hours. Made the mistake of still signing up my child for 6 hours of behind the wheel lessons- instructor showed up looking sloppy in a sleeveless shirt and shorts. I would not want to be in a car with this man, much less my daughter. I cancelled the lessons and demanded a refund. read more

Called in to ask about driving lessons I currently hold a foreign license just needed lessons to drive while visiting the US. Woman was extremely rude and first words out of her mouth were you cant get lessons until you come in and pay (obviously wasn't expecting it to be free). I was just inquiring about lessons and she was right away aggressive and telling me I only had 10 days to get a permit if I wanted to get a license in order to drive in the US and that I needed to book right away... all she was interested was taking my money not answering questions or even listening for that matter, I was not looking to obtain a license in the US just lesson to drive in the US while visiting. Horrible first impression and very unprofessional. read more

Excelente experience. Ricardo is a great instructor and office staff very helpful and friendly. Very trustworthy

Friendly service but I expected the guidance to be a bit more professional at the training sessions.

10/10 would do it again. Passed on the first test all thanks to the man called Ricardo Gonzales. Btw best price

I signed up for some lessons in this school as I had not driven for years and needed quite a lot of refreshment. I am very pleased. In the past I've had terrible instructors who kept telling me off all the time and made me feel useless on the road, and I remember driving lessons as dreadful experience. The instructor of this school Ricardo however is very nice and patient, and advises you what to do without making you feel bad. His wife is very nice, too. I can only say good things. read more

This place is great! I passed my test on the first try! Riccardo really helps and gave me so much confidence. He even took me to the DMV I was going to test at for some practice! This place is great! I RECOMMEND IF YOU HAVE 0 EXPERIENCE read more

Ricardo is the best driving instructor. He is very patient and skilled. I just took my behind the wheel test today, and I passed the on my first try. He was very supportive and helpful. As well as a good conversationalist. Which made driving more fun and calming. read more

If you are looking for a driving school with a nice patient instructor, this is the place to go. When I took a 6-hour driving lesson package at another school(not this school), all of the part-time instructors I met were cold and unhelpful, and I failed the driving test. Then I decided to take another lesson here. This school is run by a family and all of them, especially the instructor Ricardo is very patient and helpful(and friendly!). He corrected my mistakes patiently and my driving skill improved a lot after i spent 6 hours with him. Today I passed my driving test and I'm sure I'll use the driving skills he taught me during the sessions. I highly recommend this school. read more

This place is horrible. The first six hours of behind the wheel was okay. Then the lady behind the desk clearly told me that I can use their car without any additional fees for the license test. However, a couple days before my test and I call them to confirm with them that they are going to be there for my test. Ricardo said there is an additional fee of $145 for using their car. I tried to argue with him that this was not the case when I went in to pay, and he told me no driving school will allow me to use their car for free. And it's not like I just went in there without paying for anything and asked to use their car, I paid a good amount of money and I think this is not out of the line to ask to borrow their car here. It was my first time attending a driving school so I did not know whether driving schools let their students use their cars for free or not so the least they can do is explain it to me. Instead they told me all of those nice things so that I can just give them the money already. P.S. Both of them have heavy Spanish accents, which made it hard for me to understand them during my practice. Worst driving school ever!!! read more

Excelente Driving School. Ricardo is a great instructor. Prices are great. Very professional and trustworthy.

Just wanted to update my review. My son passed his driving test the first time with the minimum 6 hours instruction with Ricardo.

Ricardo is a crook. He is not honest and respectable. He made me pay him $200 in advance for 3 days of 2 hours behind the wheel drivers training for my son. I told him when I paid the $ that my son's schedule was very tentative because of his sports. We set up a time and I had to reschedule the time. Even though I gave him over three days notice that I had to reschedule he was very, very rude and yelled at me on the phone. I told him it was best if he just refunded me the money because of his attitude and he continued to get scary and crazy on the phone. I would NEVER feel safe with this old, cranky man in the same car with my child. He refused to refund my money or to reschedule our dates. I have also filed a complaint with the DMV. Please do not use this company. read more