Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, we help adults who feel nervous about driving build their skills and confidence with patient, one-on-one instruction. However, we are not equipped to support severe driving anxiety. If anxiety keeps you from driving, you experience panic attacks in the car or cry during lessons, or you have had extreme difficulty learning to drive, Bay Cities is not the right school for your needs. We recommend seeking help from a qualified mental health professional before booking lessons. Our instructors provide driving instruction, not mental health treatment.

All customers must have either 1) a valid original California permit or 2) a valid original Driver's license from any US state or foreign country. Photos or copies are not acceptable. Permits from other US states are not legally allowed and will result in lesson forfeiture. Foreign Driver's licenses and Driver's licenses from other US states are allowed. Any other paperwork that is not the above (such as applications, receipts, etc.) are not allowed and will result in lesson forfeiture.

The California DMV requires a minimum of 6 hours of professional behind the wheel training, but many of our families elect to take a few more lessons with us, especially when the driving test is coming up or if there has been a long gap in the amount of behind the wheel practice. If you feel your teen will need additional lessons, we recommend the 10-hour Behind the Wheel Package which gives your student two additional 2-hour training sessions.

While every student is different and learns at a different pace, 1-2 months should pass between lessons and the student should practice driving several hours with an adult during that time. We recommend a minimum of 5 hours practice time between the first and second lessons. Typically, 3-5 practice sessions of no more than 2 hours at a time will help build on the skills learned in the behind the wheel sessions. Ideally, no more than two months should pass between lessons. We recommend that you call 3-5 weeks in advance of your planned DMV Driving Test so you can take your last lesson close to the test date.

We have found that new drivers are most comfortable and learn the best in a private lesson with only an instructor in the car with them. Our policy is to not allow parents/guardians to ride along unless there is a medical necessity (which requires pre-approval when scheduling the lesson). From time to time, new instructors in training may ride along during a lesson as part of their required training for DMV certification.

DMV and Vehicle Code regulations prohibit driving schools from taking students on actual test routes. For the test prep, we simulate test conditions on nearby streets that are likely to be similar to the actual road test. If you'd like your test prep lesson to cover in a specific area on the peninsula (within our service area) other than near your pick up location, you may choose to meet your instructor at that location instead.

Yes, you can indicate a preference for an instructor. We try to accommodate all specific requests but it may not always be possible if a certain time frame is also required. We try to keep students with the same instructor for each lesson for continuity but a different instructor may selected or need to be assigned due to timing or resource constraints. We have both male and female as well as Spanish speaking instructors.

Please contact us. We've found that different students have different personalities, and some instructors might be a better fit for some than others. We'll help you ensure your experience is positive.

We've spent the past 40 years refining our content, which can be found on our lesson plan page.

Yes. We're one of the few schools that's legally allowed to. Many schools don't have proper commercial insurance that covers them during the tests, and if you were to get into an accident, you could be held personally liable.

Yes, all vehicles are DMV compliant and are outfitted with additional safety features such as a dual-braking system and extra mirrors.

Yes, all DMV rentals come with pick up and drop off.

In order to account for possible delays, all driving test rentals are a flat 4 hours to give enough time for you to finish your test.

All rental packages come with 30-45 minutes of refresher material/training as long as there is enough time to make it to your test. For additional and more thorough practice, we recommend booking a single lesson a few days before your exam.

See our policies for scheduling or canceling behind the wheel training lessons.

All students under the age of 17.5 must take a Driver Education course. We offer a 30-hour DMV-approved online Driver Education course that you can take at your leisure. Upon completion, you will receive a "Certificate of Completion" in the mail that certifies that you've completed the online course. This certificate must be physically mailed to you, and unfortunately cannot be PDF'd/emailed. We mail certificates within 1 day of course completion, and you can expect to receive your certificate in the mail in about 5 business days.

No. The DMV (and our insurance policy) requires that the Driving School's instructional vehicles are used for lessons. Our vehicles are specifically outfitted with safety equipment that normal vehicles don't have.

Our fleet is a mix of the Toyota Prius C and the Toyota Corolla. We've found that both are among the safest (the acceleration is very controllable!) and easiest cars to learn in.

Our Instructors are selected for their ability to teach safe defensive driving techniques to a variety of students. The DMV application process also requires 60 hours of training and a written test. In addition, Instructors' applications also require a fingerprint screening with the Department of Justice. Our instructors all have undergone background checks.

No. We are happy to pick up and drop off at your home or a designated location in our service area. Only the student needs to be there with their valid permit in hand. However, for students under 18, a parent or guardian must consent to utilizing our service before scheduling the first lesson.

We only accept Credit Cards, paid up-front before confirming a lesson.

We recommend starting on streets that are familiar. Large, empty parking lots are also a great place to start. As your new driver gains confidence and proficiency, venture out to new areas around your home. The key is repetition and practice of key skills that you learn from your behind the wheel sessions.

We recommend that you check with your insurance carrier for details but typically, auto insurance policies do not require adding a new driver until they officially acquire their license. When driving with a learner's permit, they are generally covered under your policy but not as a named driver.

You can see general availability through the calendar view when searching for lessons. This shows you all days where we have a lesson opening. However, actual availability is dependent on instructor choice and your specific location. If a day that you've selected doesn't have availability, we generate a list of suggested dates in the week that are open based on your location, and this list can be found toward the bottom of the screen. If that still fails, you can try selecting another date in the future. If that again fails, reach out to us at info@baycitiesdrivingschool.com and we can help.

We require practice weeks between lessons by default to encourage proper practice between lessons. If you absolutely need lessons in rapid succession, reach out to us at info@baycitiesdrivingschool.com and we can make an exemption.

If you've already booked a lesson with us, by default we require you to take lessons with the same instructor. This is to ensure that you and your instructor develop a professional relationship where the instructor can coach you on your weaknesses and strengths over time. If you absolutely need a new instructor due to a bad fit or a need for faster lessons, reach out to us at info@baycitiesdrivingschool.com and we can make an exemption.

We take into account instructor location preferences (and a few other scheduling factors) when showing you availability. Similarly, if the distance between your location and the instructor's previous lesson location is too far, you won't see availability.

Driving schools across the US are plagued by long wait times. Our school is a bit better, but we're not immune. There will be times throughout the year when we're booked out for several weeks in advance, which is why we recommend booking ahead. In any case, reach out to us at info@baycitiesdrivingschool.com, and we will do our best to find you an earlier slot.

By law, the first behind the wheel experience for a teen after they receive their provisional permit should be with a DMV-licensed instructor in a dual control (passenger side brake) instructional car.

The DMV requires that teenagers practice driving behind the wheel with a parent or guardian or an adult over 25 years old, who has a valid CA driver license, for at least 50 hours in addition to the six hours of professional training with a certified instructor. At least 10 of those 50 practice hours must be done at night. The 50 hours of practice can start right after the student's first behind the wheel lesson. We recommend at least 5 hours of practice between the first and second lessons and, ideally, 3-5 practice sessions of no more than 2 hours each.

No, but by law, you're required to meet the full 50 hour requirement.

Yes.

Many of our students' families own Teslas and other higher-end vehicles. We recommend practicing in vehicles that have slow acceleration and staying away from performance vehicles until the driver is confident and has mastered the fundamentals. Teslas in particular only have one pedal, and it's pertinent for new drivers to become accustomed to driving with both an accelerator and a brake until they've mastered the basics. A similar argument can be made against back-up cameras—practice the basics until you master them, and then feel free to use modern features to make your driving experience easier.