Anatoly is a reliable, knowledgeable and an honest instructor. He pointed out my errors and helped me overcome my fear of driving up and down SF hills. I called him and the next morning we had our first lesson. He is punctual and will take you to the driving test if you need a car. He is direct but has a sense of humor :) I am grateful that I found him and I would recommend him to any friend. Good luck to all the news drivers out there and drive safe! read more

Anatoli is THE best driving instructor money can buy. He is educated, meticulous, and teaches you how to drive safely and never be in an accident, ever. Anatoli, is an extremely educated, kind, and genuine person. He taught me decades ago, I am still truly and profoundly grateful to this man, he is literally, A LIFE SAVER!!!! read more

While mindlessly trolling yelp reviews I stumbled upon Mr. Anatoly's business. I am so glad to see that he is finally on here, and that he is doing well. I thought it more than my duty to praise him for his stellar efforts as my driving instructor. Granted he was my instructor a few years ago, he was absolutely amazing. I came to him after a very poor experience with another instructor who would only take me down great highway and made every effort to avoid other cars and traffic. My experience with Uniworld Driving was the polar opposite. Anatoly was diligent and patient. He took me out on busy streets to ease my fear of driving, and really made certain that he replicated real-world driving experiences. Thanks to his efforts I passed my licensing exam the FIRST time around, actually, the DMV assessor got out of the car and shook his hand, praising him for being a great instructor! I now feel more than confidant behind the wheel, and thoroughly enjoy driving. I have no issues driving in the city and on the busy freeway (which is more than I can say for some of my female friends who were taught to be frighted on the road and fearful of other drives by overly cautious instructors). I would recommend Anatoly's driving school to absolutely anybody at any age, with any degree of driving experience! read more

I'm so happy my friends referred me to Uniworld driving school with Anatoliy!!! It was my very first driving experience and I enjoyed it so much! Anatoliy is very professional : calm, patient and gives such great explanations. I was so surprised how easy it is! It took us about 5-6 lessons to learn driving and I enjoyed every second of it! I passed my exam from the first time BUT I didn't wanted to just pass the exam I wanted to learn how to DRIVE and not put anybody around me in a danger - this was very important for me and I'm so thankful to Anatoliy for all the knowledge and wisdom he gave me ! Thank you than you and thank you!!! I miss you :-) read more

Anatoly is a fantastic instructor. One thing I loved about the classes is that we drove ALL over the city. We drove around the sunset, on Sunset Boulevard, on Geary, around the Richmond, down 19th avenue, through the park, in the downtown area and we even drove on the freeway. Another HUGE plus about Anatoly is that he knows absolutely everything there is to know about the DMV and how to pass the driving test. Along with teaching students how to merely pass the driving test, he also prepares his students for real-life driving, which I heard that most instructors fail to do. I also must strongly recommend that you have Anatoly come with you to the DMV for your driving test. He knows absolutely EVERYONE at the DMV. Having Anatoly with me prevented me from having to stand in lines and made the whole DMV experience so much easier. Anatoly is wonderful and I recommend him to anyone and everyone because he instills confidence and safe driving in his students read more

My mother, who's been afraid to drive her entire life (until now), has decided it was time to learn. After 2 failed attempts to teach her myself, I started searching for professional help. Uniworld was recommended by a friend, so I called and was able to schedule a convenient appointment time. I rode along for a few lessons and I'm very impressed at the instructor's professionalism; he's very calm, polite and very informative. My mother passed her driving test on the first try and she's no longer afraid to drive, even on the freeways! Highly recommended. read more

Based on all the five star reviews I called him for preparing the Behind-the wheel test. He was very rude on the phone from begin until end and was not try to listen properly either. Horrible experience with him just on the phone. Will be a definitely pass for his driving school. read more

So... I am in my 50s and just decided to learn how to drive (finally!). I took driving lessons with another driving instructor about 10 years ago and failed my DMV driving test three times. I lost all my confidence after that. Then I gave up on driving until recently - Samtrans bus route that I had been taken for years got discontinued and l needed to drive to work. It was really hard to get over my fear of driving but let me tell you - Anatoly is a miracle worker. He is very thorough, articulate, calm, patient and outstanding teacher. Who knew I would have fun learning to drive. I highly recommend Anatoly if you are afraid of driving. His training goes beyond just passing the test and prepares you for the long safe road ahead. Many-many thanks!!! read more

Thank you ! Thank you ! Thank you ! Anatol taught me to drive 24 years ago. I did pass the exam and got my license. What I realized later that what he taught me was not only about getting through exam but he taught me a driving wisdom that you will not find in any book or manual. Several months ago I was glad to find out that Anatoli still teaching. I convinced my brother in law to use his services for their kid. My nephew just passed his exam on a first attempt 3 days ago !!! read more

Anatoly's school is one of a kind. Unique. Anatoly's teaching methodology encompasses so much more than just basic safety driving techniques-it is one that is a rare find in today's pedagogy. He puts enormous effort into slowly drilling in the basics before moving on to the more intricate details involved in driving. He goes by the motto that if the basics don't become rote then a person cannot possibly learn to drive safely- in Anatoly's words, "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." Once Anatoly feels that his student has mastered the basics, Anatoly puts them to test in real world driving situations. This is a rare find in a driving instructor. Instead of practicing with his students on near barren SF streets/highways(such as Geary west of 33rd Ave or the Great Highway), Anatoly takes his students to more realistic driving situations (such as, Geary east of 33rd Ave and the VanNess 101 highway). Soon enough, Anatoly deemed me ready to pass the DMV driving test. I took the test and passed it with nearly high flying colors on the first try. (I am the first in my family to pass the test on the first try). All in all, Anatoly has been great to work with. The way Anatoly teaches is as valuable as the driving lessons themselves-his approach transcends the driving lessons. Yelp has got it right- "Whoohoo! As good as it gets!" read more

Anatoly belongs to a rare kind of instructors; he really cares about making you a good driver rather than just preparing you to pass the test. After not driving for many years, I've passed the behind the wheel test after taking only 5 lessons with him! I did not consider myself a good driver before, but Anatoly really taught me all the fundamentals from the ground up. I've used 2 other instructors in the past so I can really appreciate how different he is from other instructors. Highly recommended (I, myself, found him at Yelp as well). read more

I passed on my first try. Done. As an experienced driver i had to retake the behind the wheel test because I failed the vision screening when I came in to renew my license. Anatoly prepared me in two sessions. I completely agree with everyone's comments about his great professionalism, teaching style, and patience. He was direct and to the point and he taught me what I needed to know. His no-fuss attitude and excellent teaching style clearly show he is a seasoned professional who is here to make sure you pass that darn test. While I can see how some people misinterpret his communications style as rude, I appreiated it in the end. He means no harm. Anatoly wants to teach you and it's nothing personal if he calls you out on your mistakes. Listen to the man, he knows what he's talk about. Thank you Anatoly! read more

I had a great experience having Anatoliy as my driving instructor! It took me about 5-7 lessons to learn everything as he explained the theory and practice very clear, easy to understand that I could do it immediately right.I can highly recommend Anatoliy as the driving instructor!I passed my driving test from the first time and very thankful to him.I have had another instructors in Russia but can say that can't even compare between them-Anatoliy is the best to teach you how to drive safe and right.Great explanations from zero ,great examples,great teacher! read more

Anatoly is an outstanding instructor. When I started taking lessons with him, I was very nervous to get behind the wheel, never mind take the car on the road. Anatoly, through patience and perseverance, was able to push me to get over my fear and learn how to drive - not just to past the DMV test, but to feel comfortable to go anywhere on my own. Learning how to drive at an older age is always intimidating, but with him I did not feel inadequate or unable. Quite the opposite, he managed to teach me how to handle any road and made sure that I will always remember the driving pillars and, of course, helped me obtain my drivers' license. His classes are also very affordable for the student on a budget. Thank you, sir! read more

Two words: I passed! Anatoly's teaching style is honest; he will tell you what you're doing wrong but also what you're doing right. And that's the best way to learn. Very glad to have picked him to teach me how to drive - I was very nervous and he put me at ease from the get go. Thanks Anatoly! read more

I completely recommend this to anyone who wants an instructor who is challenging yet effective. With every lesson my confidence was higher than the last. Here's a list why I consider this driving school the best in the city: * He's bilingual in English and Russian * Good with any age * He doesn't just teach for the test, he teaches driving for life * I passed the test the first time * Teaches to be calm while driving and to drive safely at all times * He does Visual and Auditory teaching * Makes clear diagrams * Takes drivers around the city from the quietest streets to the most congested such as 19th Avenue and Van Ness Avenue From these lessons I learned how to confidently change lanes on one of the busiest streets in the city, all the while being very careful. I totally recommend this teacher, spread the word and good luck! read more

Anatoly taught me how to drive a few years ago. I was 40 something that time and never learned how to drive. He taught me the basics of driving and about car parts in general. He explained everything to me in a manner a good professor would. I am a methodical learner and his way of teaching worked so well for me! I never thought I would learn to drive but he taught me how to drive a car and more importantly, to be a careful, defensive driver! read more

Great teacher ! I was a very paranoid driver and have not driven in about 5 years now. Anatoliy was great at teaching the basic concepts but more importantly helping you feel confident. I got my license in one shot but more importantly I drive better now :). Thank you ! read more

It's been a while since I've signed on to yelp, but now that I'm back on, there is a review that is important and long over-due. I would want to describe my experience learning how to drive as miraculous, but that would not give due credit to Anatoliy's patience and experience. I am the last person in the word to pick up driving easily because I am both spatially and directionally challenged. Seriously, I got my permit at 16 then got scared and avoided doing anything about it for a good 7 years. A few months before my 23rd birthday, I realized that my California ID was about to expire. I figured that, rather than pay for a new ID, I may as well use the timeline to try for that license. Enter Anatoliy. This guy is really a pro. It also helps that he was a physicist, and really knows how to understand space and time. It also helps that he knew just how to explain driving to me in a common sense way. Even now, driving two years later, I still remember what Anatoliy taught me. Together, we progressed from a parking lot in the outer sunset in my first-ever experience behind the wheel, to the "victory lap" around City Hall and Van Ness street (see, he has a good sense of humor, too). I passed my test the first time around, which my family definitely did not expect. Anatoliy, on the other hand, looked at my results and said I could have done better. Thanks to him, I have the rest of my life to keep getting better at this driving thing, but for now, it has definitely made my life in Baltimore this year much less stressful. read more

My driving learning experience with Anatoly was first class. He is an experienced driver who takes you through each step of the learning process with clear instructions and honest feedback, striving for continous improvement and at the sane time making you feel at ease. Above and beyond his driving teaching qualities, he is a great person with whom I enjoyed many interesting conversations, which makes the practice more pleasant. At the end of our series of sessions I feel confortable and confident in my driving skills and I would recommend him to anybody looking for an outstanding instructor. read more

For at least three years, I have been having trouble getting my license, meaning I did not have anyone to devote time for me to learn. I knew it was time for me to learn how to drive because I go to a college that driving is somewhat of a necessity. I found Uniworld here on Yelp, and made an appointment the next week. At first I was nervous because this was my first real driving experience, but after a month, I became a very confident driver. Because of Uniworld, I am able to drive downtown San Francisco, or anywhere for the matter, with confidence. I was able to pass the DMV test on my first try in San Francisco. My instructor's background as a physics teacher comes greatly in hand when learning to drive. Everything made sense and I would highly recommend Uniworld to anyone who is learning to drive, or needs to brush up on their driving. read more

After having Anatoly as my driving instructor, I was able to pass my driving test on the first try (with quite a high score too) and became the confident driver I wanted to be. As a teenager, my parents and I were looking for someone who could teach me not only how to drive well, but responsibly as well. The 6 lessons I took with him did just that. Anatoly is a strict teacher because otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to become as good of a driver as I am now. I was referred to Anatoly by my dad, and now I have referred him over to my friend. All three of us share the same, successful results that I did. I highly recommend Anatoly as a driving instructor for anyone who needs to pass a driving test, gain confidence in driving, and/or learn how to drive well! read more

Anatoly is a unique driving instructor because he teaches how to change lanes on busy streets (19th Street and Van Ness in SF), merge into freeway, change lanes on freeways, and navigate busy intersections. His lessons take place in dense traffic, and are very well organized. Besides driving per se, he explains a lot of relevant common sense principles and driving strategies applicable in a variety of real-life situations which can occur on the road. I am really impressed with the depth of his understanding of the art of driving which stems from many years of experience. read more

I am sorry to be writing a negative review, but I think people should be warned. This man was rude, even on the phone making the appointment. I made an appointment with him anyway, based on the Yelp recommendations. He did show up on time, and had a legitimate "teaching" car with separate controls. I told him right away that my problem was anxiety after a freeway accident. But the minute I started talking he would interrupt and start lecturing to me. He would make insulting comments: "You're not listening to me. If you would just listen I would tell you." Finally he let me drive. I started out about a block, changed lanes and signaled, and he said, "Pull over!" I did, and then he accused me of not signalling. I tried to politely tell him that I had signalled, but he started yelling and insisting. At that point I was even more nervous and upset than I had been before the lesson, and couldn't imagine driving on the freeway with him insulting me. So I told him I was driving home and ending the lesson. He was fair at the end, and didn't ask for any pay, but I paid him $40 for his time. read more