West Coast Driving School

Negative experience: Walter is one of the worst instructors ever. I totally wasted my money with Walter. He does not listen to the students. He wasted a lot of time in the bathroom. He is very mean. He is also very rude. I got my license from different school. To be honest don't waste your money and time with Walter.

Negative experience: Instructor Walter is the only one teaching for this company, he’s a good instructor but if you’re looking for a patient one, Walter is not for you. He’s so aggressive. He always yells with no reason he has an attitude he always take the same one route of course, his office route .he stops a lot to use the bathroom just a waste of time and money don’t recommend him for anyone.

Fantastic experience: The training at West Coast Driving School is top notch! Very organized and reliable. Great communication between the instructor and students too! Regina was a wonderful teacher and my daughter passed her test in the pouring rain at the Oceanside DMV on her first try!

Fantastic experience: My son's permit was going to expire soon, and they went out of their way to get him some behind the wheel practice, and he just passed his DMV driving test!!!!! I would give more stars if I could and would highly recommend them!!!!!!

Fantastic experience: I wanted to write for instructor Walter Cyz as he helped my son with his driving lessons. Mr. Cyz is very thorough and strict and patient with instructions.And I recommend to please keep asking questions if you have any doubt on the driving instructions, and Walter is happy to guide. And my son passed in the 1st attempt!! Thank you Mr.Cyz.

Fantastic experience: My son had Regina as his driving instructor and she was excellent. The company was always communicative, very professional, easy to get a time slot and very thorough. He takes his test this Wednesday, fingers crossed.

Fantastic experience: Even though I am not required to take lessons after 18 I really benefitted from taking them as i learned new things as a driver and I have to thank my instructor Ortiz González for that.

Fantastic experience: Walter is the best instructor! He is very professional, punctual and has lots of patience for students. If you are looking for driving school *West Coast Diving School* with Walter is your best choice!!!

Fantastic experience: Walter has been great in getting me up to speed with driving in the US as I'm from UK an dhave not driven in about 20 years. He's very friendly and his years of expereince shows. He is very thorough and took me through all the keys things that may come up within the driving test. His teaching expertise showed as I passed 100% on my first try with no errors!!! Thank you Walter

Fantastic experience: Walter was a great instructor, I learned a lot from him and he prepared me for my driving test.

Fantastic experience: We were referred to Walter and West Coast Driving School in 2021 for our older son. Today our younger son had his first driving lesson with Walter; I wouldn't have considered any other driving instructor/school. Both my boys say Walter is a great teacher! Walter and Faith are very enjoyable and easy to work with. Thanks Walter and Faith! Happy New Year!

Fantastic experience: Finished all 6 hours with Walter and it he was very flexible with my schedule and didn't rush me, he eased me into everything and overall a great experience.

Fantastic experience: Walter was a very knowledgeable and informative instructor. He taught me all the important aspects of driving with great care and instruction

Fantastic experience: Walter was awesome very good driving instructor learned a lot get ready for my driving test

Negative experience: 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.

Positive experience: This school does not require teachers to be vaccinated or to wear masks. Walter, please consider implementing better protocols to keep the children safe during this pandemic.

Negative experience: Walter is awful. Our daughter's 1st lesson was very good, the teacher patient, instructive. But, she quit, leaving us with Walter. Again, Walter is awful. Why? Aside from his unfriendly demeanor, his driving advice was dangerous and wrong. Rolling stop at a stop sign? Yelled at my daughter for a complete stop. Advised blasting through a yellow light to avoid being rear ended. For parallel parking, he grabbed the wheel from her and then was mad the car was too far from the curb.

Fantastic experience: Really great driving school and intelligent instructor. I had a great time while driving and learned alot about how to drive.

Fantastic experience: Walter is very knowledgeable and cares about proper driving technique. He teaches you to the standards you need to do well on the road test. Highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: I passed my driving test. Thank you!

Negative experience: Horrible. First lesson he was doing paper work INSTEAD of actually putting in 100% attention.and didnt even seem to care. took him 2 months to book me for a second app.

Fantastic experience: I had the pleasure to work with Walter and team. Recently moved from NY; haven't driven a car since 2010! It only took 6 hours to refresh my driving skills with Walter. He is an amazing instructor and very patient professional. If you are looking for a good deal and get your license on the first try, this is the right place. 5/5 would recommend to friends and family

Fantastic experience: Thank you so much Mrs. Cathy. She is such angel. She explained me the tips for a defensive driver, and some little tricks to remember things. She kept reminding me of the rules, as polite as possible. Without her, I would have never cleared my driving test. I am totally new to the country as well as driving. So as a beginner I had my share of fear to even get into the driver seat. I took the 6 hour adult package and it is totally worth the amount you pay. Highly recommend Mrs. Cathy!

Fantastic experience: Very good, found this in an ad at a football game. Great price and great instructors!

Fantastic experience: My daughter took 6 hours of behind-the-wheel as required for her license (three session, two hours each). I went along so I could see what/how Walter taught her, since I would be doing most of her driving instruction moving forward. He was very thorough and patient, explained things really well, and gave her lots of pointers for the driving test. It was a great refresher for me as well! They were busy this spring, so we had to schedule our appointments pretty far out, but that was OK, gave her plenty of practice between appointments.

Fantastic experience: I took 6 hour lessons twice since I had failed my first behind the wheel test. I am from Japan and it was very scary for me to drive on the opposite side but Walter was so flexible and gentle that I could concentrate on my driving and correct my habits. It was very fun to have lessons with him and every time after the lesson, I felt my driving skill was getting better and my husband told me the same thing. Walter repeated the important points and they are now in my head. Today the examiner gave me “Awesome :)” on the sheet. Thank you so much for your help to pass the test. I highly recommend West Coast Driving School :) 他の学校と比べて安くて、でも自宅までピックアップもしてくれるので助かりました。日本人の方にもお勧めできる学校だと思います。

Fantastic experience: Walter was a very kind instructor and gave great advice.

Fantastic experience: They training my daughter 3 years ago. I just rehired them to train my son. Easy to schedule and very professional. Highest recommendation.

Fantastic experience: My daughter had Kathy as an instructor and said she’s very personable, sweet, and had a great all around experience. Thanks Kathy!!

Fantastic experience: Driving is stressful but Walter was calm throughout, really helped. Not super expensive and good tips and review throughout. 10/10

Negative experience: Takes FOREVER to schedule a class. Put me one class every two weeks. He is not trying to help you finish driving test asap but putting as many people as he can on his schedule so he doesn't lose any student or money he can make. Don't take classes here, find a coach who will practice with you everyday and get your driving license in a week. I just can't believe I waste one month and a half on this driving school.

Fantastic experience: I used West Coast for both of my daughters and just signed my son up. West Coast is very professional, I have loved all of our teachers there. They provide just what is needed to pass the test, loved that the last lesson was right before their DMV appointment and went over all pertinent information and passed their tests!!!!

Fantastic experience: owner is really nice & made sure I finished all my lessons before my test when the other instructor cancelled, passed test first time, really helpful tips

Fantastic experience: Best driver traning instruction period. Super flexible and effecient.

Fantastic experience: I had a great experience with Mike Acasio as my driving instructor! I got very detailed lessons that taught me everything I needed to know and allowed me to get a perfect score on the behind the wheel test!

Fantastic experience: I would highly recommend Weat Coast ! Walt was a fantastic instructor. I was surprised to hear that he would come to my house for lessons as most other schools had a drop off This was just icing on top as he exceeded all expectations on helping our son be prepared to take his road test.

Fantastic experience: Martha is such a great instructor she always makes sure you’re doing everything right and she genuinely cares for the person and making sure they pass the exam! I passed on my first try with 0 errors

Fantastic experience: Great experience, reasonable prices. Even met with my teen the day of test, and of course there is now a new driver in our home. Nice teaching manner. Friendly and helpful. Highly recommend the team there

Fantastic experience: Walter was great instructing my daughter. Very friendly- Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Had a good experience with my instructor Mark, and even when I lost my permit they were happy to help me get my reprint approved, great service.

Fantastic experience: Walter put me at ease and provided great instructions. He knew exactly what to be aware of and gave me some great advice.

Fantastic experience: I had a very easy time learing the details of driving and was taught very fast and easily thanks to Mike Acasio

Fantastic experience: Highly recommend, my driving instructor Walter Cez was great. He was able to start small conversation to keep me calm while I driving for the first time as well as teaching me certain objectives on the road.

Fantastic experience: We are back for a 2nd time for our next kiddo. Our older Son had such a great experience learning expertise Driving skills & passed his DMV driving test super easy. Thanks to Walter at West Coast Driving School, getting our boys on the road was made easy. Thank you

Fantastic experience: My instructor was Mike Acasio, he was so calm and patient to me although I was so nervous and excited all the time, he always couraged me and thought me the right way to drive. He is the best!! and I passed my test, thanks to Mr. Mike!!

Fantastic experience: Great instruction at an affordable price!

Fantastic experience: Driving instructor was fantastic! Taught me everything I needed to know.

Fantastic experience: The driving lesson were very in depth and you could really understand everything that was taught. There is a lot of repetition until you can do it correctly. I highly recommend this driving school when you are making your chose.

Fantastic experience: Great experience, very knowledgeable, would recommend.

Fantastic experience: Walter was very helpful

Fantastic experience: I didn't know which driving school to choose from. I had a hard time pinning one down because there weren't very many reviews from good sources for any school in San Diego County to make a decision. No parent wants to put their son or daughter in harms way or under direction of an unprofessional and unsafe drivers ed instructor/school. I took a leap of faith and chose West Coast Driving School in Carlsbad, CA and I am so happy I did. Walter Cyz was my son's instructor and I welcomed his professionalism, his breadth of knowledge and years of experience teaching teens Behind the Wheel Training. He welcomes one on one conversations with the parents and always updates you on the students progress. This is a team effort for the instructor, parent and student. Now...I had a tough time putting my hours in as the adult in the passenger seat. It wasn't the hours that I had to put in reference to TIME. It was the hours spent having to make sure my son didn't get into an accident and hurt someone or us for that matter. A lot of times I did catch myself screaming STOP STOP STOP! or LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER! or YOU JUST CUT THAT GUY OFF AND ALMOST KILLED US! Your instructor will always do their best not to scream like I did but my son worked his magic and, as hard as it is not to scream or yell out, Walter did yell STOP STOP STOP!! So when my son finished one if his sessions with Walter and told me Walter yelled at him I took a step back and analyzed the situation and explained to my son that he wasn't, per say, yelling at him but was screaming for you to STOP before you hurt someone or him for that matter. Your child might have an instructor raise their voice at them but it isn't meant to be condescending or cruel. This man risks his life to teach and train YOUR child to learn to drive safely and to protect bystanders from getting hurt. I'm sure Walter was scared for the safety of others and my son including himself if he didn't yell STOP. I was fine with that. I dont know how ANY instructor can keep composed under that amount of stress while teaching ANY teenager to drive without, at some point, burst out screaming STOP. Walter kept his composure, explained to me what happened and smiled and said I'll see you two in two weeks great job today. Its a TEAM effort. A great drivers ed school will always comminicate with you. They will work with you and your teen and they protect all of us by teaching our teens correct driving habits. I will always recommend Walter. My son passed his Drivers Test with only one mark..."California Stop" (rolling) in a residential neighborhood. Walter covered that with my son but as you now know...my son still needed someone to scream STOP STOP STOP! Thank you Walter! You are fantastic!

Fantastic experience: The instructor was very cool and was very helpful giving tips for the driving test.

Fantastic experience: Great driving school. Excellent value for the price. Easy to make and change appointments and they are very flexible on times and working with my family's busy schedule. My 15 yo son took lessons from Walter. I don't envy Walter teaching kids how to drive - my son needs a lot of direction and he got it. It has made practicing driving with him a lot easier and we even got a sample score sheet for DMV test with lots of notes on what my son needed to work on in order to pass the DMV driving test. 5 stars to Walter and Sarah in the office.

Fantastic experience: Covered everything that needed to be covered. Fun small talk. Patient.

Fantastic experience: Walter was patient and helpful during my daughter’s lessons. It was easy to schedule appointments.

Fantastic experience: Very great and easy to work with. Has avery flexible schedule. My driving instructor was Mike Acasio. Very professional driving instructor.

Fantastic experience: I ran Mike Acasio my former driving instructor who taught me how to drive. Hes the best driving insteuctor around. I recommend choosing him. He now works for west coast driving school and its probbably the best driving school around!!

Fantastic experience: Myla is the best! She help me acclimate to driving again after a long period of time not driving. She is a fantastic teacher!

Fantastic experience: The experience I had at this driving school was awesome. Walt was my instructor and he was very understanding, patient, and knowledgeable. This school was very professional and I would recommend it to anyone who needs lessons.

Fantastic experience: Walter was the instructor for three of my daughters. He was very reliable and professional, and my girls were well-prepared for their driving tests after their lessons. We will definitely use West Coast again in two years when my youngest gets her permit.

Fantastic experience: Walt, was really funny. Great tips! uhhh yeah!

Fantastic experience: Thank you to Walter for providing excellent driving instruction. Our son had a very satisfactory experience during his lessons and found Walter to be an encouraging and supportive instructor. My son passed his test today and attributes his success to Walter and the West Coast Driving School.

Fantastic experience: Super helpful! Highly recommend to people looking for driving schools.

Fantastic experience: I just passed my behind the wheel test today thanks to Walter's expert instruction! My experience with West Coast Driving School has been fantastic - professional, friendly, and completely focused on making me a good, safe driver. I can't recommend them enough.

Positive experience: My instructor didn't show up for last lesson and isn't answering any calls/texts :/ prior to this, she was really nice and knowledgible about being on the road

Fantastic experience: Okay. This is a late review but better late than never. So I had Walter for three lessons back in September of 2016. Let me put simply.....absolutely amazing! I had the best three sessions I could ever pray for from someone who has been teaching professional driving for the last many years. The first lesson I was somewhat nervous but once I started becoming use to the style and ways of Walter's teachings I became more comfortable and this supported me in flourishing into the second and third lessons I had with Walter. Walter always had my back in conveying what I needed to perform here or there and each time he provided support I became better than I was before. Some of these reviews conveying how Walter is rude and all is not true (bias almost). I would convey his approach towards you is more of constructive criticism, meaning he is building you up to become better. I loved it and recently December 7th I passed my third and final drive test attempt thanks to all the support Walter provided for me to become a better and safe driver. I even enjoyed the small talk with whatever topics came to mind with Walter. Walter, if you are reading this I cannot thank you enough for what you have done in supporting me to flourish beyond what I had read before I signed up to be a student at West Coast Driving School. You are the best and you deserve all the praise I can possibly give you. Thank you so much ! For anybody else who reads this review trust me the time you spent with Walter and West Coast Driving School will be worth it. 110% satisfaction!

Positive experience: I'm conflicted. I just finished my final lesson but wasn't looking forward to it and at the same time I was. Driving with Walter, I got information but I was also simply directed where to go as if I already knew how to drive while receiving a tone that screams "easily frustrated" anytime I obviously didn't know how to do something for the first time, asked a question on how to do something or asked why to do something. I'm just trying to LEARN, not get yelled at. I see a few other reviews from the PARENTS. But I was the one being taught. I was rushed through turns and intersections anytime I tried to apply looking around that he'd just instructed me to do, as if he wanted me to just go through and skip looking around. I'm my final lesson, he tells me no sudden quick or big movements on the wheel while on the freeway but he would grab the wheel and jerk it back to the center if I drifted off a bit. I made a few of my own mistakes, such as waiting to turn because a car was coming up behind me and I thought it wasn't clear, thinking it was on the lane next to me, when I remembered there was only one lane and the car was behind me. Okay, I made a mistake and had a brain fart. I'm also a beginner and don't have much opportunity to practice between these little lessons. I get a raised voice and a tiny lecture about why I can't do stupid things, and it's hard for me to explain that I knew better but was just confused. I stay quiet the majority of the lessons because I know saying anything would probably start an argument and I don't want to argue. Such as being pestered to take my foot off the gas when my foot is literally inches away from the pedal. I continued onto a road where the speed limit changed and he noted, in an annoyed voice, that I was going too slow and asked what the speed limit was. The sign coming up said 50, so I said 50. So he said "Okay so what are we doing? 35. So we're going under the speed limit. Okay now go slower." That last sentence was said about immediately after criticizing me for going too slow because he saw we were approaching a red light. I had already noticed so I just kept doing what I was doing and chuckled while I let him blab away. He gave good info from time to time. But it was hard to appreciate it with his attitude.

Fantastic experience: Walter has been great, the team is professional and courteous. Each driving experience has been safe, fun and helpful for my daughter and I would recommend them to anyone..

Positive experience: So far so good. I called around to a lot of places to find more information on first time drivers licensing. The DMV is pretty vague. Sara at WCDS was awesome. She not only answered my questions but provided information beyond that to assist with getting my kid his permit. Now that he has it, he is enrolled for their Driver's Training and we hope that my kid does well so I don't lose my mind trying to get him started. Thanks Sara!

Fantastic experience: I’m not dead, so that must attest to how great the instructors for this school are. Actually I felt really comfortable using this school because the instructors are very patient with you. They calmly help you learn how to drive and barely put any pressure on you. The first time I got onto the road I was very nervous and it really affected my driving and so the instructor started talking to me and helped me to settle down. I really appreciate the amount of effort they put in here.

Fantastic experience: West Coast Driving School is great affordable driving school! Walter (the owner) got me in on short notice after my previous driving school (Zoom Zoom) shut down. I completed my behind the wheels with West Coast and learned alot! Passed my Drivers test with 0 mistakes :-) Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Before I decide to get my license, I wanted to be sure I was fully ready, not only for the test, but also for the road. West Coast Driving School was where I went for my training. After I was completed, I was transformed into an amateur driver to a highly skilled driver, now with a license.

Fantastic experience: I thought I knew how to drive, but there were a few things I could improve on. West Coast Driving School was where I went to become a batter driver. My instructor was a mannerly person, who was not only kind, but knowledgeable. Thanks to him, I am a better driver.

Positive experience: the driving instructor I had could not have been worse; he did not show up to my 2nd appointment and was horrible on the first lesson, but the owner was very nice about it, offering to redo the 1st appointment. I would recommend this driving school. However, when making your appointment, request another person than Dean Mitchell because he is awful

Positive experience: I’m a bit shame to admit this, but at the age of 29, I wasn’t a good driver; I honestly haven’t owned a license before. But I decide to change this and went to West Coast Driving School for some much needed help. It was a bit nerve-racking, but within no time, I was driving confidentially. It’s never too old to learn, and I’m happy I had an excellent instructor to help me on my driving journey.

Fantastic experience: My daughter took behind the wheel lessons with West Coast Driving School. Her instructor was Walter. He was very professional and friendly. He made sure my daughter felt comfortable with everything she was being taught before moving on to something new. The customer service was great as well. I would highly recommend West Coast Driving School to any of my friends or family.