We signed up our 16-year-old daughter for classes at West Coast Driving School. It turned out to be the best choice we could have made. Faith, the lady at the front desk, was incredibly helpful. We even got to pick between a female and a male instructor, and we decided on a lovely lady named Regina. Regina was so kind and really helped our daughter feel at ease while learning to drive. Today, our daughter successfully passed her behind-the-wheel test at the DMV. THANK YOU!! everyone at West Coast Driving School read more

My daughter has been receiving lessons at West Coast Driving School from Walter Cyz. The first lesson she said he was impatient, but she thought he was teaching her to drive and maybe it just seemed that way. After the second lesson, she said he was impatient and rude and argued with her. I called the school and I got him on the phone. I told him what she told me and yep, he began to argue with me by defending everything he said, which I did not ask for. I finally told him enough to get him to stop. He said he wasn't arguing with my daughter and I told him the evidence speaks for itself. If he is arguing with me, he was arguing with my daughter, most likely. I asked for another driving instructor and he said I could get another one for the final lesson. I would request not to use Walter when setting up the lessons, and if they refuse, go to another school. Other than him, it has been a decent experience. They work with scheduling and try to accommodate. But to spend 2 hours in a car with a guy who acts like a jerk when you are 16 years old is not good. It is hard enough for kids to learn to drive on command, and to have some guy being impatient and rude in the car with you, is unacceptable. Finally, Walter had my daughter stop at 7/11 for snacks In the middle of her lesson. read more

Just returning home from my teen son's driving exam -- with a LICENSED recipient! Ms.Gabby did a great job getting him prepared for his test. When we had him start his behind the wheel time we gave him no prior training and she got him in the driver's seat and on yhe road within mere minutes of his first lesson. He said she was super patient and thorough, always giving good direction and feedback. We even booked some additional lessons because I was having a challenging time teaching him backing in and parking techniques (some can do but not teach ha ha), and she was able to help him make the connections and learn with ease. Would definitely use this school again. read more

Used this place for my first child about 6 years ago. The instructor was awesome. Six years later, not the same experience. The instructor didn't teach my third child any concepts and the last lesson he completely flaked. No one could get a hold of him. We had made last driving lesson a week before the driving test so we had to take my child out of school to make up for the lesson. The lesson was with the owner who NEVER apologized for his flaky employee and taking my daughter out of school. The owner was not very good at instructing as well. Def would not recommend. read more

My son just returned from instruction with Walter. It was one of the worst experiences of his driving life. He came home very upset and discouraged! The man has a demeaning nature! He is doing his best to shatter the experience which should be a positive one. If he is truly tying to help these kids be competent on the road he is doing everything but that! I would not recommend Walter and I can't believe I actually paid for this! I should have read the reviews! Walter himself should get off the road in his crappy car that had the engine light on!!! Do not let your child drive with Walter! read more

West Coast driving prepared me to be a driver. The teacher was very calm and helped me believe in myself. I finally got my license at 31 and couldn't of done it without them. read more

Worse experiance ever! Shouldnt it be illegal for walter to be making phone calls while driving with a student for the first time on the freeway!!! Also when he grabs the wheel while driving is very distracting and makes things worse!! And walter also yells for the smallest things and that is also very distracting. Overall did not enjoy my experiance with walter read more

This is coming from someone who is a bit of a big softy; someone raising their voice scares me. I am a new driver who is finally getting out on the road and I am enthused to be learning. I took this at a time when Walter is the only instructor in the company. That being said, here's what I think. Pluses: *He is knowledgeable of what is on the exam *Quick on what to correct for your driving *Keeps you focused and makes sure you do not rest on your laurels after a milestone Minuses: *raises his voice to where it is scary *If you do not turn in a way that is acceptable he will reach over to correct. Kind of feels invasive (it is his car so he doesn't want it wrecked) *makes calls in his car to other students or prospective students while giving lessons *does not use his kinesiology knowledge to apply to the driving. I feel like if he had told me to plant my heel on the ground to act as an anchor for my big toe, I would have had an easier time to regulate my speed rather than him telling me slow down when I barely know how to consistently keep my speed when told to. Take away; Make sure you're not too big of a softy. Get plenty of drive time before and during your instruction under him; not beginner friendly. If you can drive with him, you can handle any driving test. read more

UPDATE (8/5/22): I ended up finishing my third lesson, but I switched instructors. From Walter Cyz to Regina Jones. Making it quick, she was an absolutely wonderful instructor. I cannot recommend her enough. Very direct and patient with students. May even book an extra lesson or two with her. The rating is only bumped up a star because this is a combination of what I think of Walter and Regina. If you're a more experienced driver, in which I am not - go for Walter. But if you're a novice driver like me looking to get his license - go for Regina. :) read more

I'd give Kathy 5 stars and Walter 0 stars. I used west coast driving school 4 years ago when I was 15. Walter isn't a friendly guy at all he's really impatient and he'll have his hand on your wheel for the entire lesson. He'll grab your wheel every five seconds for no reason. He's also just not a very friendly guy at all I can't see any young person enjoying being instructed by him because he's bad at all aspects of teaching kids how to drive. I switched to Kathy after my first lesson, Kathy was 20x better than Walter in all aspects of being an instructor, she doesn't tweak out and grab the wheel every time you make a turn like Walter. you go to driving school here dont sign up for a lesson with Walter read more

My daughter took classes with Walter. He must've taught her well. I went to the DMV with her for her behind-the-wheel test. The person in front of us failed but she passed! The guy at the DMV who scored her gave her high marks and said, "Great Drive!" - not that it matters, a pass is a pass! So, I would have to say Walter did his job. Also, as I read the other reviews I feel it is important for a variety of teachers to inundate young people with unconventional ideas. Bravo Walter! read more

Walt expects the teens to have experience and be able to handle a car on a residential street at the commencement of the first lesson. This wasn't clear from their website and ended up to be a confidence crushing experience for my son. I wish I had read these reviews before I signed up. I least we got our money back. read more

Recently I booked a lessom for my teenaget. Walt the only acted unprofessional and talked about topic unrelated to drivers ed. This resulted in my child being nervous bihind the wheel, when prior to this lesson she had been quite good and level headed. I have also learned that all of his employees have left his employment. So all the remaining lessons would have to be with Walt. I asked for a refund and was initially met with resistance. After much discussion with his scheduler I was finally refunded. I would not recommend this business. read more

West coast driving school is amazing. My son is 25 and has asperger's. Walt was very patient and taught him alot. He also called me back with feedback and was very truthful about what we need to work on. I would highly recommend them. read more

West Coast Driving School is amazing!! I am a high school student preparing for my drivers test and I had Walter for my driving lesson at West Coast Driving School. He was so great! Walter was very talkative and friendly which made my experience amazing. He was very calm throughout the lesson which made it very easy for me to learn and process everything he taught me. I got to practice driving on busy roads, residential neighborhoods, main roads, and the freeway. He was very in depth and descriptive with his instructions/teaching which helped me a lot! I learned a lot of new things about driving, and feel a lot more prepared for my driving test. I truly feel like a whole new driver coming out of just a two hour lesson with Walter. I would definitely definitely recommend West Coast Driving School! read more

If I could give a negative 100 I would. Walter spoke with me over the phone after our current instructor could no longer take our son due to health issues. Health issues which he divulged to me as he shouldn't have as it is disrespectful to speak about others health problems. Apparently he is taking over our instructors students which I had paid for in full. He was demanding me to pull my son out of school to complete our lesson. He became belligerent, aggressive and unacceptably rude screaming at me over and then he hung up on me. I do not trust my son in the car with him and quite frankly he should be reported. I will not and would not ever recommend this place as all customer service is completely lost. read more

Now my other son is ready for driving. And whom do we turn to? West Coast Driving School! This time, the instructor is Walter. He is very experienced, thorough, and committed to preparing his students for success! read more

Kathy Granger is a great instructor. She is very kind and has patience. Our daughter had a traumatic head injury 9 months ago that left her with PTSD and had a negative effect in her ability to learn to drive. We paid for 3 lessons with Kathy and her confidence was rebuilt. Kathy was very patient and understanding. Our daughter took her driving test and passed. Kathy's tips help her to this day when she is driving. read more

Walt, the owner, is an excellent driving instructor. Walt is patient, friendly, & knowledgeable. He has successfully taught teens in our family. He instills confidence in new drivers. Competitive pricing, plus he picks up & drops off students from their home, which made it super convenient. Highly recommend. Will definitively use his services again when our younger kids become teens. read more

An awful experience with an even more awful person. Walter is rude, short tempered and has an attitude that screams easily frustrated. The only decent thing about him is that he knows what he's talking about when it comes to the driving test, besides that? Like I said, Walter is incredibly short tempered and if you don't do something EXACTLY how he tells you to do it he'll reach over (while you're actively driving) and try to correct you and then give you a 5 minute lecture and berate you about your mistakes. I mean hell the man would reach over and correct me even on the simplest right turns and the simplest parking. I was in quite a few car crashes as a teen (as a passenger) and as a result I've been hesitant to get my license because of my anxiety. I made this all very clear to Walt but it seemed to go in one ear and out the other. After our first lesson was completed not only did he pick me up over 5 mins late but he dropped me off 10 minutes early. These classes are NOT cheap and this was a smack in the face and shows he really just doesn't care. On the second day I had another 8 am class with Walter, only an hour into the class we got into a confusing area I had never been before and the traffic was merging from 2 lanes to 1, I went slow because the person in front of me was going very slow as they were trying to merge as well and don't forget I am a new driver with lots of anxiety and Walter starts yelling at me to stop, blend stop then keeps yelling at me to blend, the word blend is not a driving word and it made it's a million times worse that he was yelling at me and really never gave me a chance to correct myself, the lady behind us ended up rear ending us and I admit it was my fault, Both cars were fine and it took less then a minute for Walter to come back into the car saying both cars were okay and immediately started to scold me, at this point I was completely shaken up and crying, I got out of the car and just walked away because I couldn't handle the situation anymore. Walter NEVER sent me and email, phone call or even a text message to me or my mom with a follow up or even to ask if I was okay. Walter is an old fart and is TERRIBLE. have so much more to say but all you need to know is there's better driving schools to spend your hard earned money on and not have to deal with this clown. read more

We've had a very good experience and I'll use them for my other children as well. Teaching skills are very thorough and our instructor Kathy is patient as can be. read more

My son took lessons from Walt a couple years ago. I never went on and wrote a review, now that I am looking for my daughter, I realized I should have. He was a terrible instructor. Yelled at my son and added stress while doing first time on freeway. Talked about odd things such as conspiracy theories, microchips, government tracking. My son was very creeped out by the experience. I am only thinking of it now because, in looking for a school for my daughter I realized how much worse I would have felt had it been her in the car alone with him. read more

If I can give this place 0 starts, I would. Worst learning experience ever. I can relate to all the negative things people said about the instructor and the place. Lost myself confidence to learn driving. Impatient instructor that teaches while yelling at you and increasing your fear and stress that causes you to make more mistakes. Had to find another place and learn with a friend that helped me get my license. read more

I STRONGLY recommend new drivers to take driving lessons at West Coast Driving School! I had a very pleasant and beneficial learning experience here. I failed my first driving test last month. So I googled for driving schools around Oceanside and found WCDS. I called their office during the holidays and left a voicemail. Soon Sarah, their office manager, called me back. For not being a fluent speaker I get dissed a lot, but this is wasn't the case with Sarah. She is friendly and professional. She answered my questions patiently and clearly, told me what to expect in the lessons and what my instructor is like. Her patience and friendliness made it easy for me to choose WCDS. I wanted to complete my lessons before school started. So Sarah had all my 3 lessons arranged in two weeks, which works very well for me. During my lessons (which costs $245) with Mr Walter Cyz, I learned various things to ensure safe and smooth driving. Mr Walter is friendly, attentive, and clearly very experienced. He gave short and clear instructions, told me what I did right or what I did wrong. He intervened when my driving got dangerous. I also enjoyed small talks with him. I just passed my behind-the-wheel driving test this morning, couldn't have done it without lessons at WCDS. Overall, I am perfectly content with WCDS. I am very thankful for the help from Sarah and Walter. read more

Mike was a great instructor! My daughter tends to get nervous and easily has anxiety, so driving lessons simply compounded this, but Mike was patient & thorough. My daughter just passed her test with zero deficiencies! read more

Lack of a positive driving instruction environment! Walter is just doing his job , but at times I felt like he didn't want to be there and always deep breathing heavily! I felt uncomfortable! First time driving is stressful but he made it double that! He knows his stuff but could portray it better to the student with a nice manner! A big NO that I didn't like that he was answering calls as I'm driving and talking very loudly,very distracting! To be honest I felt uncomfortable, but the lessons had to get done and I went with it! Walter talk so fast and loud it hard to focus on what you're doing! The car he used was awful, he should be using a regular car, not a hybrid! The steering wheel is weird and hard to handle and it took a long time to brake and accelerate! read more

I took a lesson my lessons with Walter a while ago and they were some of the worst experiences of my life. It was my first time driving, and all Walter did was constantly yell and make the situation more stressful. He wouldn't give directions concisely, and would then proceed to constantly blame you. He actually lectured me for five minutes on what left and right is. At the end of the third lesson, he even told me I wouldn't pass the driving test. That was probably because he was such a crappy teacher. In the end, my dad taught me how to actually drive, and probably because he wasn't constantly yelling I passed the test easily. Walter, don't just respond to this yelp review and make excuses. You need to change. read more

Driving for me has always been something I've pushed off. Especially after all these bad stories I've been told about my peers and their driving instructors. However, one of my friends recommended Mike Acasio and said that he was the only instructor who had the patience and taught her the most. She had a lesson with mike while he worked at Bakkers Taking her advice, I tried contacting Bakker's and scheduling an appt with Mike, but when I found out he was no longer working with them I just had to hunt him down. FINALLY, I found a review posted about Mike describing how he is now working for West Coast Driving School and his reviews were very good! Scheduling an appointment for a behind the wheel lesson was really easy and they work well trying to figure out the best time, even if you have a busy schedule. Mike picked me up from my grandparents house and he was very polite and made sure I was comfortable while driving. If I made a mistake, he would not yell but calmly tell me how to fix my error. Throughout the whole 2 hour lesson, I learned more about driving than I have ever learned before. He explained to me exactly what was going to be on the test. Exactly 2 weeks later I took my driving test and I passed with only 2 errors! I would like to say mike is a miracle worker because he was my FIRST and ONLY driving instructor I ever had, and I passed my driving test on the first try. So big shout out to him for being an amazing instructor! read more

Big thank you to Mark!! I had 4 hrs. in total for the lessons with him and we went together to the DMV in Oceanside. Mind you, this is my 4th time taking the driver's test. I was ready to give up since I previously had an instructor who was no good (not from the same company) and didn't really learn anything from that instructor. I'm so glad I found Mark, he was able to teach me SO much in those 4 hours. He showed me so many tips, he was kind, told me things I needed to work on and guided me. I wouldn't have passed my driver's test without his help and patience, honestly. You're the best, Mark!! read more

I wish I could give a higher score for them as I knew that Kathy the driving instructor was doing the best that she could. Unfortunately we had communication issues. She tended to talk a lot in the lesson and tell stories which I found incredibly distracting (which she explained she does intentionally to try and create a 'real life experience' for students), but I was having to interrupt her to ask questions about my driving, and what order to do things in, which was quite stressful on the road. When I failed the first test (which I don't blame Kathy for at all), afterwards I made it very clear that I wanted to be specifically coached on the speeds I should be going at, and her communication was still confusing to me, not clarifying the speed limits and sometimes saying the wrong limit (based on her memory of the area not of the signs on the road). I requested another teacher for my next test, without prejudice to her, but I was disappointed at how Walter handled the matter - he didn't contact me after Kathy said that she would, he didn't seem to know anything about the matter, and when he said that he wasn't free to take me himself, he didn't offer another to connect me with another instructor either. It felt like he'd rather just get rid of me. Disappointing. I wouldn't recommend. After reading other reviews on here, I'm actually glad that he didn't take me either. Luckily I was able to find someone else to help me pass my second test. read more

Walter is great at running the business and I can reschedule easily, but he is a terrible instructor with a crappy car. He yells at his students and doesn't respect people. Sorry that's how I felt about my experience. Maybe he doesn't like woman of certain race or color. read more

Does not return phone calls. I've called this school, left a message saying my son was ready to start the on the road training, and they never returned my call. read more

I highly recommend West Coast Driving school! My daughter had Araceli as her awesome instructor. She made my daughter feel safe, comfortable and confident along with being very friendly. I made sure and booked all of the hours/days on the first appointment. The instructors book up fast so that is my biggest piece of advice is to plan ahead. My daughter was well prepared for her behind the wheel DMV test and passed the first time. read more

The driving school was very flexible making an appointment for the first driving lesson and to collect the payment for three lessons. We have since issues scheduling the next lessons. If somebody answers the phone we are asked to call back at another time. read more

The lessons are two hours and they cover a lot of ground (literally). The course was adjusted to my ability level but it did not shy away from various kinds of traffic. I learned from Walter, the owner. He knows his stuff and cares about the details. His style is straightforward and frank, but not rude. He handled a couple my wack mistakes (including a brush with a median) swiftly and with grace. He uses a "sports coach" teaching style. His office staff handled my schedule changes well and were friendly. The driver's test fine points are reviewed, and in my first lesson we fine-tuned my turning. The lessons progressively add information relevant to the test and driving in general, so that you master one aspect before moving on to the next. read more

Pros: Friendly office receptionist - Sara is extremely professional and kind. She was able to answer all my questions upon first considering West Coast Driving School. Scheduling with her was a breeze, and when I needed a refund for the two lessons I would no longer be able to attend, she had it done in seconds. Knowledgable instructor - My instructor was Walter Cyz, who is also the owner of WCDS. He is obviously knowledgable about the road, as well as the DMV test. Cons: Attitude - As I said, Walter is extremely knowledgeable--but I think he should stick to running the business and creating lesson plans for other instructors to follow. Walter gave strictly negative feedback, which overall created a negative and stressful learning environment. Driving for the first time is already stressful for students; having an instructor yell at them every time they do something wrong is bound to make it twice as stressful. Professionalism - As I said, Sara was incredibly professional. Walter on the other hand showed up 20 minutes late to my first lesson. I informed him that it was important for me to end on time, because I had a personal engagement scheduled immediately after the lesson, and yet we ended 15 minutes late. The only time I scheduled while Walter was in the office, it probably took five times as long as it did when only Sara was scheduling me. Neglect - Walter had to answer the phone 4 times throughout the lesson. Twice, the conversations were fairly short (about a minute). The other two times, the conversations ran on for 5 minutes or more. For a first time driver, every minute without constant supervision, attention, and instruction is CRUCIAL. I did not feel safe at all driving the car with Walter on the phone. He explained that he had to take business calls on his cell phone because the office was closed. If the office is closed, then the customer can leave a message and expect a call back during the next business day. That time shouldn't be taken out of an already paid-for driving lesson. Structure - At the end of the lesson, it would have been beneficial to go over things that went well and things to be improved upon, as well as a list of the techniques we went over during the lesson. It also would have been beneficial to give instructions on how I should go about practicing the driving techniques with a parent. Final Thoughts: Walter isn't a bad guy. In fact, I'm sure he's a nice guy. But he wasn't a nice instructor, he didn't create a positive learning environment, he wasn't as respectful or professional as he should have been, and he sure didn't make me want to come back for a second lesson. If you don't mind any of these things, West Coast Driving School may be a good fit for you. But it definitely wasn't for me. read more

My son went on his first drive and his instructor, Walter spent the whole time yelling at him. When my son would try to ask questions he would get mad. Now my son is terrified to try driving again because of his experience. read more

My daughter has an appointment today for her last lesson before her driving exam with Torres, Araceli. Araceli did not show up, no call, no text and now my daughter is hanging on the line. This is not only very unprofessional but also uncourteous. Updated: I just received call from Sara, Office Manager, who just came back from vacation and inheritted a huge mess as it looks like the driving instructor went AWOL. Sara was very nice and accomodating, working to move schedules around for next day 8am for the last lesson. Raised from 1 star to 4 stars because of Sara's excellent customer service. read more

Great driving lessons for teens getting their license. Porfirio Salomon was professional, kind and an excellent teacher.

My daughter just completed her first behind-the-wheel lesson with Kathy Granger. My daughter came home excited and eager to practice what she had learned in her very first driving experience. Kathy is extremely friendly and puts the students at ease from the start. It really helps to have an instructor that can be kind and patient while providing critical instruction in a potentially stressful environment. I am happy to recommend Kathy and it was nice to have a female available for my daughter. read more