Reviews of Universal Driving School Ottawa Inc. (Driving School)

Iman Yusuf Ali

A great driving school, I would recommend it to anyone who is going for a road test and not feeling confident about their skills I passed my G2 test yesterday so I am really glad I took the right decision to learn with them, Hess helped me with effective instructions, so I am really grateful for your help.

Jacob MacDonald

Passed my G2 road test on the first try thanks to this school, and my driving instructor named Van! I’m very grateful. Thank you.

Bahar Roomani

First, go and find another driving school. If for any reason you decided to work with them and take in car sessions, just pay session by session, otherwise, you may lose your money as I did! Here is my experience with them: I took in car lessons with Mr. Hesi (who is both the owner and the instructor) and paid 400$ for 10 sessions in advanced. After 5 sessions, I couldn’t schedule anymore sessions for weeks because the instructor kept telling me that he was all booked. When I asked him to give the rest of money (200$) back so that I can find another instructor who has free time, he told me: “it’s not our Policy”! Although he hadn’t mentioned anything about their policy before!

Angelo Spezzano

Really great driving school, probably the best in Ottawa. All my family took other driving a schools and failed their g2 the first time, I myself took Universal and passed my g2 right away 95%!!!! Honestly the staff and instructors made you feel at home!!! I really enjoyed my classes and driving hours!!! Ask for Hess, or Ivan, Hess brought me for my test and told me everything i need to know!! Great!!

Tosin Lawal

I attended the universal driving school and failed my road test. Waste of money.

Kevin Scharfe

Hess was awesome to deal with & Charlie made sure my son had a great driving experience! Lilly is a great help to keep things running like a well tuned automobile. Cheers Kevin

yoni keren

Amateur greedy people. After I paid in full and just before the test the instructor claimed I didn't pay for the test(so he claimed I owed 120$), and after calculating how much the lessons and test would have been WITHOUT a package(if I paid per hour) there was a 30$ difference. Before the test I asked what is my chance to pass the test he claimed 80%, after I failed he claimed he thought I wasnt ready and needed more lessons. I didn't take any other lessons from those guys and passed my next test easily. Bad people, bad lessons, be careful! Notice How the owner's response came 2 years after my review, of course he lied and I have not missed a single class. He messaged me on facebook 1 year ago, and demanded to remove my review, which is against Google's policy. Also notice how he has 5 stars reviews from reviewers who have only one review! Very suspicious.

Omar Imran

Great driving school. Hess is really good with the in car lessons. They prepare you really well for the G2 test as well.

xinyuan lu

Hess is so nice and helpful!!! I pass the road test because of his nice training!!!

Walter Mielke

These guys are great, they walk you through the process of what it takes to pass your G2 and G.

Antoine Bujold-Roux

Amazing driving school! Hess was a great driving instructor and was very nice and helpful. He had an awesome approach and gave so many good tips. I defenitely recomend it to anyone.

Lleld

Super outdated course definitely not the best choice. Unless its a convenient location for you choose a different school.

Pranav Mohanan

I don't recommend this school. They just want the money.

Slicka D

The best driving school in Ottawa no doubt in my recommendation, excellent staffs and instructors both in class and on the road. They do want you to succeed. One love!!

Roshan Fernandes

The owners need to learn to drive first ...

Caio Bianchi

Amazing coaching! My instructor replicated my G test down to the number. Warned me about bad habits, make sure I knew what I was doing behind the wheel, and coached me for a perfect score on my G test. 10/10 Couldn't recommend it more!

Kelsey Regnier

I had a great experience with Khaled and Universal. He really prepared me for my G test and I passed with no trouble!! Definitely worth getting lots of lessons, there were no surprises going into my test. I would highly recommend Universal if you are going for road tests.

Freskim Sopa

Experienced and professional team. You will be in great hands.

Jeremy Levasseur

The Universal Driving School is very impressive. The in-class instructors are very friendly and the way the material is taught is very easy to understand. The in-car lessons are even better. The driving instructor is understanding and supportive while they teach you how to become a great driver. I definitely recommend this driving school!

DevSF4

Absolutely worth the money! I learned so much in a short period of time because the teachers at the school are always willing to help you learn the in's and out's of driving. The In-Car training was really helpful and with it I was able to pass my G2 test. ????

Betty Zhao

Awful experince. The space is so small that even smaller than my bedroom, but the students are packed. It's just a way of stealing money from you. Please don't go. I have Hess as my in class instructor, he is just awful. I hate this experince but I paid already, too bad.

Tuff Buff

Best driving school ever! The instructor is just great! Really patient ! Very helpful and coperative! If i had to do this again! I would!!! over and over at the same school!

Kien Ly

Great driving school. In-class sessions are so informative to prepare new drivers to be on the road. The instructors are great and patient to guide students through on-road sessions. The greatest thing is the school always has instructors ready to teach students even their schedules are the most hectic ones. Definitely a go-to driving school to get your license.

Danielle Zehr

Great instructors, great school!

Molissia Andrews

Great school and drivers. I improved a lot during my time there. I would recommend Khalid.

Ashley Winder

Excellent Coaching - I needed a few hours of driving and a car for my road test and they were excellent at squeezing me in (on the same day!) Hess was very clear when instructing and never made me feel uncomfortable. I would 100% recommend Universal to you or your family.

Michael Moe

I took driving lesson from this company last year. Few days ago, my driving instructor called me and claimed that I owed him $299. I told him that I'm pretty sure I've paid all and it's impossible that I owe him any. Since I paid with my credit card, I went through my electronic statements and sent him screenshots of those transactions. Instead of checking with his bank, this guy accused me of faking those statements right off the bat. He demanded that I come to his office with the paper copies. I refused and he conceded to check with his bank. He confirmed few days later that I had paid in full. If I were to pay in cash, it would be his word against mine as I don't have the receipts anymore. With all that experience, I cannot recommend this school at all. Update : Now, he is threatening me with lawsuit to take down this review.

Tayler Bois

Great School! Highly reccomended!

Ryan B.

I'm amongst those who believe this driving school is poorly managed. They are arrogant and disorganized. The instructor I got was very upset at everything and spent lot of our in-class time giving his opinions about society, governement, etc. It was very unpleasant and awkward.

Rohan Fernando

Really a great driving school, all the instructors are well disciplined and competent to train new students. I took training under them only for 10 hrs and faced the G test. Happy to say I obtained the license in my first test. I would like to recommend Hess for anyone looking for a competent instructor.

Wof

WORST DRIVING SCHOOL EVER! When the day of my road test came up the driving instructor was talking on the phone the whole lesson, and THEN he made me do the test when he knew i wasn't ready, i ended up failing. The road test supervisor said he hasn't taught me anything. Please save your money and go to another school. This school only cares about the money and not the students.

Anand Pullarcot

I took up the BDE course from universal driving school last month and was able to complete it on time. The course package is really professional and upto date which gave me the confidence to drive on the road. Special thanks to Vans who gave me the in car driving lessons which has helped me to ace the driving test. Also a special mention to Hess who coordinated me on the test day and motivated me to give out the best results. Thank you so much for helping me in getting my drivers lisence.

Jennifer Borne

I am the mother of 4 teenagers. All went through the course over the past several years and had a positive experience. My oldest son has a learning disability and when we were at another school, he was so intimidated he did not learn anything and he failed the driving test twice before we came to this school as recommended by a friend of mine. I am so happy I did as Hess was so patient with him especially for the in car portion which is very difficult for my son to learn. My son passed his driving test and even knows how to parallel park better then me! Since then I have enrolled all my kids there. I was disappointed to read the negative review recently as it is so far from the truth. If it were not for Hess, my son would be forever a walker. I normally don't write reviews but I just want to let the school know that there are people out there who appreciate what you do for us and to please know in life there are more good people than negative people. We are just not as vocal. Thank-you for caring.

Nizar Ghalbane

As a new comer here in canada i wanted some help to pass my G test, they charged me over 120$ and the instructor didnt even tell me that i should be in the highway more than 5 times so they failed me at the drive test (they didnt even let me take the test) so i lost money of the test + the driving school fee to get the car for test) in total 250$ just like that. i called them and asked if they can refund me as i didnt use their service, the owner apparently who is the same instructor refused, they said if i wanted to get their car for testing i need to pay again. He didnt even offer to drive me home. He said i should pay him for the uber ride as he is paying gas, yes i was shocked ???? stay away guys

Aleks Baumgart

Went to Universal Driving School to pass my G2, my instructor taught and showed me everything that i needed to know to pass and how to be a safe driver on the road. I highly recommend taking classes here! Learned allot and it was fun! Thank you Universal Driving School for teaching me so much and help get my G2!

Sarah Al Saady

I had a positive experience with all their staff and my instructor Hess was very helpful and patient with me. I passed my g2 test on my first try, highly recommend universal driving school :)

KARSHANBHAI GUMASNA

I trained with hess and i should say he is a good instructor . I just passed my g2 test with a different route with only one mistake and all credit goes to him ,he instructed me with all the rules and regulations so i could make that.

Brian Yang

Pretty good experience with hess

Tenzin Gates

I was searching for driving schools for my son and noticed that driving schools have such a bad reputation for the cost of the program. The cost varies between 600 to as high as 900 around the Ottawa area. To me, that is reasonable prices given that the instructors have to use their gas and time to go back and forth. How much does it cost for an Uber or taxi for an hour? likely more than $45 for sure and they don't even teach you to drive and expect a tip at the end of it. I have had one son in music lessons which amount to $50/hour/week which amounts to $2500/year. I have also had my son in karate: paid upfront $1300/year and decided that I wanted out a few weeks later and had no refund at all. I have other friends who spend $1000 per year on hockey fees/gear and another who spend equal amount on dance lessons for her daughter. Thus, why are we willing to pay these non- essential lessons so much money on a recurrent basis without batting an eyelash when we are bemoaning $600 to $900 as a one time cost to get our teenagers to drive safely? Let us get our priorities straight. Those who put forth negativity should be cautious as the laws of karma will reciprocate whatever you put out to the universe. I am posting this to the main driving school websites.

Brian N.

One of the best driving school in Ottawa. Instructors Hess and Abdulla are extremely knowledgeable , experienced, friendly and patient to ensure all students gain the required driving knowledge and successfully complete the various driving tests. A definite recommendation for any new driver hoping to get their license.

Ayishah Abdillahi

Took this school due to its excellent ratings over the internet. My experience learning how to drive was nothing short of phenomenal. I joined with zero experience in a car, never even turned on a car! Instructors taught me so well within the promised timeframe that I passed my G2 test within the first try! If you are looking for a professional, safe and trusting school, believe me, this school is right. They balanced my crazy schedule and catered to all my needs. I always felt that I was in good hands. Phenomenal company, with great great GREAT service.

Samia Majzoub

Best driving school Hess is the best he's verry patient and professional I recommend every one wants to go to driving school to choose universal driving school because it's the best

david ola

I had an amazing instructor in Hess and I learned a lot. I recommend this driving school for anyone who wants to improve their driving skills and/or get their Canadian G-class licenses.

c white

Universal Driving School was great. I learned a lot and passed my G2 road test on the first try. Hess was a great instructor. Many other driving schools are very overly expensive but Universal Driving is the best value, in my opinion.

Abbas Karimjee

This is a fantastic driving school. The teachers are really knowledgable and are fully committed to helping you be completely ready for the driving test. They use your learning style [i.e visual, auditory] to help you master and apply various driving techniques.They are also quite friendly and patient with students as they understand the challenges associated with being a new driver. I got G2 after my first attempt and would definitely recommend this school.

Julia brooks

Came here a few years ago. Children’s aid paid for it and the scammed me and took my money and they just did it again to my friend. Stay away or you’ll end up having to take them to court

Wilfrid Leduc

Excellent driving school. They did a really good job by teaching and made sure I pass on the first try. I definitely recommend this place to everyone.

boris fishman

Instructor was great. Always tried to accommodate for my schedule.

Thomas Cardo

I had Balvir as my driving instructor. He was always fitting me in whenever he could so I could get my g2 as fast as possible. With his help I was able to pass on the g2 test first try. He was very patient and good at explaining what to do.

Vicky van der Ham

What kind of driving school comes so close to your bumper while making a left hand turn? Tries to force you to go through a stop sign down a side street and then proceeds to speed around me while in a construction zone? A driving school that doesn't understand the concept of driving safely. I will be reporting them to the better business bureau, police and ministry of transportation.

Shelby Calof

I had a great time during the in class lessons! I was told that it was going to be boring but my teacher made it interactive so I enjoyed it. During the in car I found that I learnt a lot of things that I didn't know before which really helped me pass my G2 test!!

Aaron Plowman

Great instructors. Just finished the in class portion and they made it really fun to learn. Now i just have my in car lessons to go and then i get my license. Thanks UDS!

Caleb Demore

I had a great time working with the instructors at this driving schools. Very kind and cooperative owner. Would recommend

Santo Larino

My wife and I went to Universal Driving School for BDE Course and I was impressed that not just learned how to drive well ,but we passed G2 road test for the first try, I highly recommand Universal Driving School to all the new generation of drivers . Thanks again .... Santo Ottawa

Adrian Bond

Great experience. Hess my driving instructor, is knowledgeable, takes his work seriously but is also laid back and funny. He helps to take away the anxiety for the test. I passed my first road test on the second day driving with Hess, with only a hour of practice the day before. He shows you where you will likely drive around for your test, depending on your test location. Highly recommend.

Balmeet Kapoor

Such a great school to learn. Staff is very friendly, helpful. I passed my test with their instrucator named 'Hess'.

Chalini W

Great school. The instructor was professional, friendly and patient and gave me very good tips. I passed on the first try.

Michalina Durczak

Best Driving School. New location is right beside Algonquin, convenient for students. Great instructors who have experience. Passed my G2 the first try. Thanks!

Sanjeev Jain

Thank you so much Hess and Ivan for your excellent guidance and training for road test. You guys are the best !!

Amelia Chen

Just finished the course in February. I had a great experience and most importantly got my driver's licence. I was initially very nervous but that went away quickly after I met the instructors. The place is in an older building but has a great location which makes up for it and is accessible by bus which for me was a huge bonus as I did not drive. Also there are doctors in the same building so if it's good enough for doctors then should be good enough for me. I think they have another location in Barrhaven that is brand new for those that prefer a new building.

Nkeonye Aniagu

Take your money and run...don't even bother going here. The receptionist is very pleasant but the instructors are terrible. The first I got was so rude n said he wasn't available, like I was disturbing him. The second I got was in a hurry, poor at explaining etc. I eventually failed my G2, decided to watch YouTube videos to brush up (not a first time driver) and I passed..go figure!

Glevison Santos

I received super valuable tips to perform the test. Without them, I probably would not have passed the exam, even though I am an experienced driver!

Giovanna Breda Tomasoni

Really good practice for the G full test