Young Drivers of Canada

Negative experience: I would be careful before signing up for one of their packages, as they are not very flexible nor responsive should any issues come up. They took 6 months to get back to to us when we tried to transfer lessons to another city, only to inform us that we would need to pay significantly more money to transfer (double what they initially estimated) and finally that they were unable to give a refund because it had been so long.

Fantastic experience: Manny is the best, great instructing, very professional and knowledgeable.

Fantastic experience: The instructors were all so great and encouraging and yeah were the reason why I passed the test and I am the driver I am today. Shoutout to Manny and Cliff for helping me along the way. For that reason I give maximum stars

Fantastic experience: Husam was a great instructor and helped me pass my G2

Fantastic experience: After I got my G1 license, I was with Husam for in car lessons and he was a very good teacher. I really enjoyed his teaching style (theory, demonstration, then practice) and overall he’s helped me and my driving skills significantly. He provided me with lots of feedback, and different tips for me to remember how to complete different technical skills. Overall very good experience - I would recommend

Fantastic experience: Course was super easy to follow and taught me everything I needed to know to become a safe driver. Workers were super flexible and helped me switch around my program when needed. Shoutout to my driving instructor Husam who fostered a fun and engaging learning environment and made me look forward to each of my lessons with him.

Fantastic experience: 5 Stars - Highly Recommend Husam! Learning to drive later in life as an anxious student felt daunting, but Husam made it a genuinely positive experience. He's incredibly calm, kind, and patient – never made me feel silly or embarrassed, even when I struggled. His chill attitude and helpful advice helped me build confidence, and for the first time, I can drive without breaking into hives from anxiety. The conversations in the car were great too; he truly understands how to put nervous learners at ease. If you're in a hurry to pass, go for the in-person course instead of the online one. The online course is thorough but has time restrictions that prevent moving quickly through material. Highly recommend Husam – he's an amazing instructor who made driving possible for me!

Fantastic experience: Manny was a knowledgeable instructor who helped calm some nerves and boosted my confidence behind the wheel. With his and YD’s help I passed my road test on the first try.

Fantastic experience: Lessons with Husam were great. Key concepts easy and clear. Passing the G test was a piece of cake thanks to him

Fantastic experience: Husam had lots of great tips and easy-to-remember strategies that simplified the driving process, especially with more technical aspects like parallel parking. He has an easygoing nature and gets to know you as a person, not just a driving student.

Fantastic experience: My instructor was Husam and he helped me prepare for my G2 test. He gave clear instructions and had helpful information to help me pass.

Fantastic experience: Cliff and Manny helped me prepare successfully for my G2 test. Their structured teaching and support was key in helping me pass my G2 on the first attempt. The helped build a strong foundation in my driving skills. Husam was my instructor for my G test prep, and made me feel very at ease and confident with my driving. He was able to kindly deliver constructive feedback, while maintaining a calm and laid-back atmosphere in the car. I passed my G on the first attempt thanks to Husam’s help! Overall, my experience with YD Ottawa West has been wonderful, and I feel confident with the defensive driving skills I’ve developed over the past few years thanks to the program, and my instructors.

Fantastic experience: Hada an amazing experience at Ottawa West YD! The in class portion was vital and informative. Husam, my in-person driving instructor was incredible. Husam is extremely friendly and personable, and his instruction and feedback never fails to creates a stress free learning environment. He’s was also very accommodating and flexible for any of my needs. Would absolutely recommend Ottawa West YD and especially Husam!

Fantastic experience: Husam Alaghbari is the best instructor I’ve had. No problems, great guy, great experience!

Fantastic experience: After getting my g1, I had multiple sessions with Husam to get me ready for my g2. He was not only a great driving instructor, he was also very friendly and personable. I would whole-heartedly recommend him to anyone looking for a great experience in learning to drive.

Fantastic experience: Husam was a fantastic instructor. He was friendly, comforting, and funny. I learned much from him and now feel confident in my driving skills!

Fantastic experience: Husam was a great instructor. Would recommend

Fantastic experience: Husam was amazing, super friendly and nice !! He taught me alot in a efficient way and was able to pass by g2 road test first try thanks to him!!

Fantastic experience: Husam was a great instructor and made sure I learned the material and put it into practice effectively, would highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: I had Husam as my driving instructor on a couple occasions, he was very instructive, and taught me a lot of good habits that I now use driving. He is a great guy, and very inviting. Would recommend Husam for future drivers.

Fantastic experience: Working with Husam was wonderful, he's a very good teacher!

Fantastic experience: This course was really helpful for a mature student like myself. Thanks so much to Cliff for the theory and Manny for his patience and knowledge at the wheel!

Fantastic experience: Had Manny as an instructor and it was a great experience! He helped me become an overall safe driver and as a result, passed my G test on the first try! Highly, highly recommended :)

Fantastic experience: Husam was an amazing instructor! He taught me lots to prepare me for my G2 test and helped me fix any mistakes I made. He is also super funny! I would highly recommend Young Drivers and Husam to anyone:)

Fantastic experience: Husam was an awesome driving instructor! He taught me so much and did a fantastic job. He is very kind and patient and really wants to you succeed! If you get Husam as your instructor, you are very lucky!!

Fantastic experience: Husam was a great instructor. He helped me prepare for my G2 road test and was very positive that I would pass. And I did!

Fantastic experience: Instructor Hisam is a great, down to earth guy who genuinely wants to see you succeed. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to drive safely confidently on the road.

Fantastic experience: Husam was great instructor! He taught me all I needed to know about driving and made sure I was fully prepared for the G2 test. He’s also pretty funny :)

Fantastic experience: Very knowledgeable, gives clear explanations and instructions. Good at teaching techniques and communication. Helped me develop my driving skills and confidence through encouragement.

Fantastic experience: Husam is a great teacher and a great guy. Enjoyed my time with him.

Fantastic experience: Was a great experience learning about all the rules and regulations. I had a good teacher for in class studies and as well a good driving instructor. I would highly recommend this place due to their defensive driving skills.

Fantastic experience: Bob was really great! Lessons weren’t stressful at all like I expected they’d be and he was very friendly, helpful, and informative. I will continue to use the tricks learnt :)

Fantastic experience: The driving instructor I had, Manny, was very patient and constructive. I felt that he really cared about helping me to learn and succeed. Not only do I feel ready to take on the road test, but to be a perpetual defensive driver.

Fantastic experience: Manny, my driving instructor, was great. He was professional, knowledgeable, and gave me the space to learn how to drive at my own pace. I also found the administrative staff at YD's Carling location to be very helpful.

Fantastic experience: My experience with Young Drivers was great! I found it easy to learn to drive. My instructor Manny was very helpful with my learning. I recommend Young Drivers for anyone looking for driving training.

Fantastic experience: I learned how to drive from 0 (no experience at all)! I feel very comfortable driving thanks to the on-line course with practice. Manny was my instructor and he is an amazing teacher! Very patient and really helps you understand how to drive in a safe way.!

Fantastic experience: I learned a lot from the classes and in person driving that broke down the steps of how to parallel park for example. Young Drivers helped me create good habits for driving to prevent accidents as well. The driving instructor Manny was great in helping me prepare for the G2 road test. The only problem was long waits when rebooking lessons.

Fantastic experience: I passed my G2 road test with no Difficulty! Thank you to David Molerio, who was an outstanding teacher. His fun and outgoing teaching style made it easy to learn how to safely drive, and the conversations we had were always helpful.

Fantastic experience: I had Bob T. for an instructor, he was very friendly and patient. I hadn't driven in years, but after a few lessons I was able to complete the road test successfully.

Fantastic experience: Passed my G2 road test thanks to my instructor Bob Theriault! He really helped me iron out the driving maneuvers and always gave friendly reminders of what I could work on and what I was doing well. Super nice guy and even better coach! Thanks Bob

Fantastic experience: Great instructors, would recommend. Try to get Bob as your instructor he is very helpful.

Fantastic experience: I had my in car lessons with Bob Theriault and he was the best! He made me feel so comfortable even though I had not touched a steering wheel prior to my lessons. After 10 hours with him, I feel like an A1 driver. Thanks YD and Bob!

Fantastic experience: Bob was my driver instructor and he was very helpful. He was patient and helped me learn. Would definitely recommend to others

Fantastic experience: Amazing school, amazing teachers! I can't recommend it ebough. Respectful and professional during teaching process, supportive during exam day, when it's very essential.

Fantastic experience: I had Graham. Amazing instructor, great guy.

Negative experience: Literally the receptionist here hung up on me and my mom and called me names, driving instructor went to tim hortons during time and had severe road rage. This whole thing is a hot mess, please stay away. I would literally rather uber for the rest of my life everywhere than have to learn to drive at this school. If I could give 0 stars I would because there is not one redeeming thing about this place

Fantastic experience: Meagan from Carling was super helpful with booking! Awesome job all around!

Negative experience: DON'T DO THIS ONLINE COURSE. I don't have experience with in person testing here but the website for the online evaluations and classes are so buggy. A super bad testing structure and super long wait times for pages. whatever the suggested time for the course is, double it. Don"t do this course, I would give 0 stars if I could.

Negative experience: When I took it,it was worth the money,now you can pick any school it's the driving teacher that makes the difference. Recommended to fiance and ended up teacher her myself.

Negative experience: I had all my lessons in December except for one, it got rescheduled into April. Instructor didn’t teach many key aspects. Online course was very frustrating and took much longer than the anticipated 40 hours. Better value for your money elsewhere

Fantastic experience: Very clean, spacious, 2nd floor office, professional workers. 5 STAR!

Negative experience: My wife tried to call the school for some brush-up before the test. The quality of the call was not good and receptionist just disconnected. I called back from a different phone and asked if she can hear me: she said "NO" and dropped the phone. Looks like they are not interested in business, so we're not giving a penny to them!

Negative experience: This school has been a very big disappointment for us. We regret ever contacting this school, and paying them a hefty sum for a classes that were scheduled weeks apart, no date for a road test in sight, an extremely unpleasant receptionist who is not the least helpful, and overall just a bad experience. Do yourselves a favor and spend the money on a better school.

Negative experience: I'm giving it one star but if I could I'd give zero. I am still shocked at how unpleasant this was! I went through this company in Ottawa with my first daughter and they tired to convince us she missed lessons that she never agreed to and charge us $300 (for lessons we'd already paid for). Being that this issue was resolved, I went back with my second daughter ----- I wish I hadn't. My biggest complaint was her driving instructor. He would roll down the window and yell at pedestrians jay walking and honk at other drivers. He used her lesson time to go through a drive through and didn't extend the lesson. He actually wasted time eating in the parking lot. When my daughter asked if he could put the young drivers sign back on the car he said no and disregarded her discomfort. He brought her on busy roads when she was not at that skill level. She felt uncomfortable driving after this. She agreed to a lesson but cancelled due to anxiety with the instructor. Even though we had pre-paid the lessons we decided to bite the cost for the remaining lessons and teach her ourselves. She did not want to complain about the instructor as she felt bad but she didn't feel confident continuing with the school. Despite all this we didn't complain. Unbelievably they are now messaging us saying that she missed 4 lessons and we owe them $400 for prepaid lessons. The receptionist called my daughter and yelled at her and called her irresponsible. When I tried to call back she again got agitated and hung up on me. She did not agrreee to any more lessons. I tried to explain to the office that even if we did miss those lessons, which we did not, we had already paid for them. so it would be like being charged twice. She said this was their policy. This makes no sense. We have left many messages asking to speak with someone in management to resolve it. I suspect this is a scam or just complete chaos and poor business practice, with young unprofessional office staff. I think this would be a good story for marketplace to make consumers aware that this once reputable company no longer stands for quality or service at any level. If you are looking to do a drivers ed course PLEASE look elsewhere and save yourself a a VERY unpleasant experience. I now am writing off the money I spent and have to find a more decent drivers ed school for my daughter.

Negative experience: Many have had to adapt to the online environment during the pandemic. YD has not only done a bad job, after 18 months of experience in dealing with the online environment, they have gone from bad to worse. Most recently, it's the change to policy. Previously, once 44% of the online course was completed, you could start booking in-car lessons. Now you have to wait until 100% is done before booking (with the earliest dates not until late winter). Changing the rules midstream is highly unprofessional. I strongly discourage anyone from using YD, until they get their act in gear. FYI - we aren't an early user. We are having issues now (i.e October 2021).

Fantastic experience: I turned to YD for in-car lessons after a friend had a great experience with her instructor, Clifford Rowe. I'm in my 30's and was highly anxious about driving. I had tried driving lessons before with other schools/instructors, but had not really progressed and was starting to feel very defeated. I booked lessons with Cliff as a last ditch effort to gain some confidence behind the wheel, and it is one of the best decisions I have made. Cliff's laid back, yet professional demeanor instantly put me at ease. I quickly started to gain confidence and rather than dreading driving, I found myself looking forward to lessons. Cliff has an incredible sense of humour, but also really knows his stuff. He gave me lots of great tips, pushed me outside of my comfort zone (in a way where I always felt safe), and and pumped up my self esteem. Today I passed my G2 with flying colours - an achievement almost 2 decades in the making! My evaluator asked me after my test if I had done lessons with YD, and when I said that I had, he said that it showed. Big thank you to YD and especially to Cliff!

Positive experience: My daughter is currently going through their program and a couple "buyer beware" things parents should know before purchasing this program. First, there is an online portion of their program that requires you to have ADOBE FLASH so make sure you have an old laptop/ computer with this. Second, you need to book your in car lessons while you are booking your in class. When we signed up in April and the first available in car was JULY! They do not have enough instructors to handle the load of students. We have rescheduled twice. Once in July and her lesson was moved to October 1. Then again we had to reschedule and it was mid-November. There is a 3 to 4 day delay in the office getting back to you on emails so it's hard to reach them as well. Having done Young Drivers when we were learning how to drive, I thought this would be the best program but as THE MOST expensive program out there, I think they really need to actually invest in the program and hire more in car instructors, more office staff and update their online portion off of Flash which has known security vulnerabilities.

Fantastic experience: I had an enjoyable experience learning to drive with YD. Would reccomend! Great and kind instructors.

Fantastic experience: As an adult learning to drive I am so glad I chose Young Drivers. From the first time I went into the office they were friendly and willing to help. Any correspondence I had over email or phone was always quickly taken care of. My in class evenings with teacher Barry were great. My in car instructor Clifford Rowe was amazing. I was very nervous, and had never driven before I met him and 4 weeks later we were on the 417!! I learned so much from his very patient and kind teaching. I was always very afraid of driving but my confidence was quickly built up. I am very grateful to Young Drivers.

Fantastic experience: My time at Young Drivers was a great experience overall. The office would reply to my emails very quickly, and would accommodate for any changes that I wished to make. During my in car lessons with Marc Dubois, I was taught and encouraged to practice safe driving habits in an entertaining manner that left me looking forward to every lesson. I would definitely recommend signing up for this program!

Fantastic experience: I couldn't be happier with the classes and in car lessons from young driver instructors. The location is perfect with the transitway station near the mall, and the course hours fit in my 9-5 work schedule. I appreciate Matthew Haddad's patience with me and and all the valuable tips he gave me, which helped me pass the test on the first attempt. I highly recommend Young Drivers.

Fantastic experience: My experience with Young Drivers was excellent overall. The office would always respond immediately to my schedule requests for the driving lessons and would find a better date for me. My in class teacher was very thorough and engaging. My driving instructor, Scott, was super friendly and encouraged me to keep practising the things that were difficult for me. I felt comfortable and learned lots throughout the process.

Positive experience: I wish I had signed up somewhere else, but I got sucked in by the brand. While my son's friends have an easy time reaching their driving instructors and booking lessons, he is expected to wait over two months for an in-car lesson and has been offered a very inconvenient schedule with no flexibility because no instructors are available. I guess it doesn't matter to YD - they have had my money since last spring, why should they care about providing service. A horrible experience! YD, it is irresponsible to keep signing people up for your over-priced program when you can't handle the volume. People, pick another driving school! Edit - May 2018 I have upgraded my review from one to three stars. Once in-car lessons got underway, my son was happy with the quality of instruction and he passed his G2 test without difficulty. They still lose one star for their high prices and one star for the instructor shortage and the out-of-date system used for booking lessons.

Fantastic experience: I just finished the program at this school. My theoretical classes and the driving lessons themselves were both led by the same instructor - Clifford Rowe. If I had to rate this guy on a scale of 10, I would still give him 100!!! He was amazing, absolutely amazing! During my driving lessons he was always so professional, patient, explained things extremely well repeatedly. I don't consider myself very gifted for driving, but honestly, with him as an instructor, anyone can learn. He is fair, yet builds your confidence. He reacts quickly, when he corrects you, he does it in the best possible way. I hope the YD Ottawa school knows his true value and how lucky they are to him on staff! I , for sure, was very lucky to be taught by him.

Fantastic experience: Amazing experience, I went back to Young Drivers to do a practice lesson before my G test and the instructor was great! He was very calm and encouraging, pointing out tips for the test, things I did well, and areas to improve before I took the test. Right before the test he was very reassuring and calm and ensured all of my questions about the test were answered. I passed my G and am very thankful for the support from my Young Drivers instructor. Overall a great experience!

Fantastic experience: good experience

Negative experience: Biggest waist of 550 dollars I have ever had to be apart of. Everything's out of date and if u have any common sense at all there's no point in taking this.

Fantastic experience: Excellent job of not only preparing students for their road tests, but for real-world driving as well!

Fantastic experience: Excellent experience! Great instructors. Very flexible in adjusting lessons when required.

Fantastic experience: Really great instructors that make sure you are fully prepared for driving in all conditions.

Fantastic experience: Great class and in car experience. Very helpful