Pioneer Valley Driving School

Negative experience: In our experience Pioneer Valley Driving School has been a big disappointment and unprofessional. My oldest didn't feel comfortable with some of the driving instructors at PVDS and my current teen, who is learning to drive now, ended up switching schools. She is now at Next Street Driving School and we could not be happier with our decision. Next Street is much more organized, professional, and their teaching strategies are well thought-out and very effective! Next Street has a pick-up location in Amherst near the Hospice Shop in Newmarket Plaza, which is easy and close to downtown. My daughter's Next Street instructor gives her a paper after each driving lesson which tells her what she needs to work on and which allows us to be able to work with her on target areas in between her lessons. Most importantly, she feels comfortable and at ease with the instructors because they are professional and kind. Another perk for Next Street is that driving students can do the content learning portion via an online course rather than spending hours and hours in-person in the basement of PVDS. Unfortunately, we missed this perk with my daughter, but we will definitely be working with Next Street from the beginning for our son in the years to come.

Fantastic experience: Len is an exceptional instructor—patient, composed, and incredibly supportive throughout the entire process. I have become a much better driver and have gained a lot more confidence behind the wheel.

Fantastic experience: I had an excellent experience with this school. As a private student, I had my first lesson with John, who was very patient and later certified me as ready for the road test. However, there were setbacks in my ability to take the road test with the school on the weekend due to changes in directives from the RMV. Unfortunately, I was affected by these changes, but the school's swift resolution left me impressed. With the help of Mary Ellen, a wonderful instructor who is very sweet and considerate, they quickly scheduled my test in Greenfield. Unfortunately, I received a call from an RMV representative just an hour before the test, informing me that it could not proceed in Greenfield and that I needed to either reschedule or take the test in Springfield the same day. I was really worried and anxious by this last-minute cancellation, but Mary Ellen calmed me down and took me to Springfield to take the test. On the way, she patiently guided me through the maneuvers required for the road test. Thanks to her support and last-minute tutorials, I passed my license test on the first attempt and that too in Springfield! She was so sweet and happy for me. She takes the satisfaction of her students seriously and even drooped me home! I highly recommend this driving school. I must say every dollar I spent was absolutely worth it!

Negative experience: Worst experience possible ever. They just want to extort all the money that they can. They tell you to schedule a lesson, make you feel like you are fully prepared and on the test day, the examiners will fail you for all sorts of random reasons and these people just say that there is nothing that they can do. If I did everything by the book and still they failed me, it should be the school's responsibility to help me out. Instead, they tell you to book more sessions, and a new test. In total, my 250 dollars went down the drain and I still don't have a license. Never going there again

Fantastic experience: I took an hour private lesson with John. He taught me useful skills to drive safely and did not waste time at all by constantly practicing over and over. I passed the road test and was glad to take a lesson with him!

Fantastic experience: Len (my driving instructor) is an absolute gem! Len is not only one of the best teachers, but also one of the best human being I have come across in my life. His ability to teach goes far beyond the technical aspects of driving; he somehow has this magical way of transforming even the most nervous beginners into confident drivers. His instructions are clear, concise, and tailored perfectly to each student's needs. What truly sets Len apart is his unwavering encouragement. He has an incredible knack for boosting morale and building confidence which inherently ends up making you a better driver, and really really helps during the road test. He creates a safe and positive learning environment where students feel comfortable making mistakes and growing as drivers. He genuinely cares about his students' success and goes above and beyond to ensure that his students become safe and responsible drivers (and his talks will also teach you a great deal about being a good human being ). And, his positive energy is commendable! I just cannot imagine a better driving instructor than Len, and I am really grateful to have had a chance to be his student. God bless him!

Fantastic experience: Really the sweetest instructors! I had lessons with John and Jeanie, and had nothing but wonderful interactions with the others. I passed my driver's test on the second try with them. I'd advise that you book 2-3 lessons close to your test date. I'm sure I'd have gotten my license on the first try if I had done that (I booked only 1 lesson on Wednesday, and my test was on Saturday). Thank you PVDS and best of luck to anyone trying to get their license! -Nana

Fantastic experience: Jeannie ( I’m sorry if I’m spelling your name wrong), was so supportive throughout and really gave me the confidence to drive. She even made a note of all the things you need to recall for the test and that really helped. Would definitely recommend going here if you’re a student at UMass trying to get your driving license.

Negative experience: Went here for drivers ed and will be going here for in person instruction as well. The curriculum itself is pretty good, driving school is bound to be boring but the videos kept me engaged and it wasn’t only reading straight from the manual which I appreciated. However, the instructor was very rude. He would comment about how the people involved in crashes (many of whom ended up dying) were idiots or stupid. He also at one point just screamed at the top of his lungs out of frustration—very unprofessional. He was very impatient with students and had a lot of attitude.

Fantastic experience: I was very hesitant to try this place to prepare for my road test because of all the negative comments I read. Ultimately decided to give it a try and I am glad I did! I had nothing but great experience here. I prepared for my road test with John. As you can see from all the other comments, he is amazing, very helpful and patient. But all the other people I’ve seen and talk to there were very kind and helpful too! They never force you to take more classes than you need, they don’t try to trick you into missing your class and they definitely don’t try to fail you in your test! If you’re thinking about whether you should try here or not, absolutely go for it!

Positive experience: I'll preface this review by saying I only took driving lessons with PVDS, I didn't take any drivers ed classes. I had a fabulous experience with Pioneer Valley Driving School. I especially enjoyed taking lessons with one instructor named John, who was super calm, sweet, and easy to talk to! I'm pretty late to getting my license due some pretty extreme anxiety and some hardship as a teen, but there was absolutely no judgement from him. The front office employee (I feel awful, I didn't catch her name) is also the biggest sweetheart! I had to end up rescheduling a lesson due to an emergency, and she was just so helpful and even sent me some words of encouragement! I'm taking one star off because I did have one lesson I didn't enjoy with a different instructor. I think our personalities just don't get along, so that's no fault of the school. At times with this instructor, though, I felt a little uncomfortable. I'm not sure if that was just a poor personality match or just an off day, though. Definitely see if you can book with John!!!

Fantastic experience: I am an international student from Europe and I applied for my road test in August 2023. Since I already had an international driving license, I just booked two or three private classes with PVDS (about 1hr each). The instructor was amazing and informed me about how to improve my driving skills and how to be ready for my road test. Furthermore, I got trained with all the maneuvers (parallel parking, parking uphill/downhill, driving in the town etc) and everything was great! I also booked the roadtest with PVDS and passed the first time. The roadtest was extremely similar to a mock road test I took with PVDS, which was quite helpful. Overall, I strongly reccomend PVDS for anyone who want to learn how to drive properly and get the driving license.

Fantastic experience: I was a student at PVDS and have nothing but amazing things to say about this school. I can tell they care about their students and working hard to get them licensed. All the instructors are so knowledgeable and they know what to do to help students pass the road test. If I could give 10 stars I would.

Negative experience: The class themselves are specifically geared towards making you spend more money on them. Company policy states that being any amount of minutes late to the class will result in not being allowed to enter it and a $30 fee. The instructors are biased toward wealthy people, and make their personal opinions on topics such as safety regulations seem as though they are law. The youngest instructor often made fun of crash victims and survivors during the class for the way they handled the very traumatic event and regularly called them stupid for being involved in accidents. One of the driving instructors made efforts to seek me out before classes started to ogle me, not aware at all I am not a minor. I also found that the classes themselves are specifically targeted at 16 year olds (which makes my previous comment even more upsetting), with no regard for the concept of adults taking the class. I would even go so far as to say, they are structured so as to single out adults. Overall, the environment is extremely strange and off putting and the instructors should not be viewed as teachers, as they would never be allowed to teach in a school setting.

Negative experience: Never answer the phone or email charge $30 if you cancel but won't tell you when they cancel or switch the location don't recommend

Negative experience: 1. They make me feel bad about myself so that I schedule more lessons. 2. It is easy to miss driving lesson because they ask to book 2-3 weeks ahead, ask to confirm Monday lesson on the Friday of previous week; they wait for 30 min to make sure I forget, then call me to tell me that I am charged $30 no show fee. I was taking lessons here in 2016. Compared with last time, the quality now is worse.

Negative experience: My daughter took a class here - they ran out of written materials and have not provided her with any. We pre-paid for driving lessons, and they have not given her any dates for them after 2 months and multiple unanswered emails and phone messages. Clearly this place is a mess as they can't even respond to their pre-paid customers. Most likely we've been ripped off.

Fantastic experience: I mainly took lessons from John. He was awesome. He makes the student feel comfortable and that greatly helps with the learning process. Highly recommended.

Positive experience: If you're anywhere near Amherst and want to get your Drivers license Pioneer Valley Driving School is the place for you. The staff are very friendly, professional and very understanding of any situation you might be in. Some instructors are better then others but if you put in the work you will come out with pride and joy.

Negative experience: I paid for a $75 road lesson and they never got back to me. I eventually passed my road test by myself and emailed them 3 times and called them multiple times but still no response. It has been 4 months and they still have not given me my money back. The lack of communication has really upset me especially since I'm just a college student--need every $ I can get!

Fantastic experience: Excellent place to drive,nice people they help me alot and they care for you and your safety

Negative experience: Horrible place! Avoid!

Fantastic experience: This might be one of the rare cases where the low google reviews/ratings misrepresents my experience of the organization. The folks at PVDS were kind, responsive, accommodating, and, importantly, extremely professional. I took couple of private classes before my road test (sponsored by PVDS). John was my instructor, who diligently explained the rules of the road and what needs to be accomplished to pass the road test. If you are looking for a hassle free experience in obtaining your class D license, I couldn't recommend PVDS enough.

Fantastic experience: Place is great they will pass you

Negative experience: Go to Dave’s school in Pittsfield rather. The instruction quality is too poor and the tests are biased.

Negative experience: These are scammers. The driving instructions are useless. Do not schedule tests here. Instructors will try to fail you, so that you pay $150+ to them again.

Fantastic experience: Good driving school

Negative experience: Horrible place. terrible at teaching driving. Take your kid elsewhere, trust me.

Fantastic experience: Pioneer Valley Driving School is definitely among the best driving schools in the region and the state of Massachusetts. I took multiple private lessons and road-test through the school - the ability of instructors to be your mentor is beyond amazing. Even while I was about to hop in for my road test, the instructors were still sharing the last moment advice. And, that hug accompanied with genuine happiness, when I made it on that day, will never be forgotten. I was over 99% prepared when I met Jeannie and the way she demonstrated blind-spot in action, just wow besides other materials for the exam! The customer service over email and phone is less talked about, yet super-responsive and amazing. A complete package! Proud PVDS Alum and a responsible Mass. Driver Licence Holder.

Fantastic experience: Mary Ellen is a wonderful instructor and I couldn’t be more thankful for her guidance. I never thought I’d get my license but she was always so confident and sure of me it rubbed off!!!!! I highly recommend PVDS to everyone who is looking for a driving school!

Fantastic experience: Nothing but positive experiences here. Have had classes with Leonard and Jeanie, both of whom were very kind and helpful. I'm sure the other instructors are very nice as well. If you are planning on taking a road test here, I would HIGHLY recommend taking at least one class with them prior to your examination, because getting comfortable with the area of the road test is pretty important, especially if you're an international student like me. Getting used to the car that you'll be driving in the exam is pretty important too! Good Luck! Edit: I did the exam and lessons at the Amherst driving school.

Positive experience: They teach you the basics, not the actual skills you need to be an actual effective driver. I loved my instructor, but I do not feel the lesson plan is very good for real world scenarios.

Fantastic experience: Maryellen runs a terrific driving school. With over 20 years teaching new drivers the rules of the road, I can personally attest to the quality of her program. My 16 year old is a knowledgeable, skilled a competent driver. Well done to all of the PVDS drive instructors and schedulers!

Fantastic experience: Both of our kids have completed Driver’s Ed through PVDS and we couldn’t be happier with their experiences! The staff is nice, professional, and very knowledgeable and communication is great! The unique thing about PVDS is the multiple options for scheduling the indoor classroom time (between the Amherst and Northampton locations, there are many dates to choose from). Also, the nine 2-hour driving lessons were ideal for our family, as opposed to the eighteen 1-hour lessons many other driving schools provide. We highly recommend PVDS!

Negative experience: I've never taken classes with them but driving on the road around their cars is a nightmare. I get it, it's a driving school with brand new drivers, but every encounter I've had with their infamous Priuses, it's as if the instructor forgot to show up or is asleep. Today, was infuriating: it was raining and I don't know about you, but I was taught to have my headlights on any time I need to activate my wipers. This trainee didn't for the entire 10 minutes I was stuck behind them. Not only that, they awkwardly overtook me while in the middle of taking a right turn, and I couldn't tell if I had to softly brake or slam to a stop because the driver was weaving in and out while doing so (it's like they forgot their blinker was on, tried to merge, tried to abort, and then tried to do it again, last minute). Then, on a GREEN LIGHT -- *our* green if that wasn't clear -- they stopped in the middle of the intersection to allow a pedestrian to cross (mind you, she didn't have her foot on the street and didn't initially intend to cross). Is your instructor being held hostage or something?! I have other stories and usually I'm very lenient to beginning drivers but I have constantly been disappointed as a spectator in this area with these training cars. I've driven many hours in the city and suburb setting and most of the time the students are apprehensive but still CORRECT when they're driving. Most of the students here don't seem to know how to drive well, and I can't claim any links, but there is evidence that they aren't driving well while WITH the instructor. Someone/people, please, open a competing driving school with well-rounded instructors-- the demand is pretty high around here.

Negative experience: Do not recommend taking drivers test here, I failed 3 times before I decided to go to the Chicopee RMV, where I passed 1st try. People adminstering the test also seem to have no filter.

Negative experience: My partner failed the test along with all the other people of color that took the test that morning. The examiner is clearly racist and sexist, only passing white cis people. This place only wants to take your money. I hope someone gets this place shut down because it’s obviously a scam. It’s a white person’s dream, but a person of color’s nightmare. I’m disgusted. Take your business elsewhere.

Negative experience: Useless lessons and Unfair tests.

Negative experience: I don't feel they treated me fairly

Negative experience: poor experience .....

Negative experience: Very bad experience

Fantastic experience: Great place Family went Loved it

Negative experience: Most racist ever see, really trash test service and those guys don't teach anything, they blame you all the time. Pass the test all according to their mood.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful staff & owner. Great instructors. Highly recommend. They schedule licensing road tests at the school so people don't have to travel to the RMV & wait weeks for a road test. The school can often pick up students at their school for afterschool lessons.

Fantastic experience: Fabulous!

Fantastic experience: My son had a great experience with the instructors and is very confident about taking the driving test.

Negative experience: Horrible service and rude instructors.

Negative experience: Very bad exprience. All instructors especially that lady white short hair name i think kelly worst instructor. Waste of money going there if u like to hear racist and personal comments highly recommended to go. Otherwise dont even bother to pay a visit. -5 rating for them