Wai Man Driving School

Coming here the first time a few years back, I chose the 10 lesson package including «5 Hour Pre-​Liscence training» and 1 try at the road test for $ 380.
I don’t know about you guys, but the 5 Hour Pre-​Liscence course is simply a 90 minute video that was probably produced in the 70s as the premise was someone driving a manual control convertible while he was talking to someone else. I was fortunate there was another person watching the video with me and we decided to talk to each other.
The next session was my first time learning to drive and if you get the old guy instructor and you happen to speak Chinese, you will be yelled at and harassed for not making the yellow light, switching the signaling lights too quickly, trying to turn on the AC when it’s too hot, letting a car pass you and all kinds of other reasons. He assures you that if there is any damage to the car, it is his fault and he takes full responsibility. I’m convinced he does all this for his personal amusement otherwise he will be sick. This guy’s route is usually from Forsythe, right turn into Delancy, right turn into Allen St and you’re practicing around Smith Projects on Cherry, Madison and Henry Streets.
Now I would suggest not trying to get a refund as it will be be reverted to being calculated on a per lesson scale and not the package price as they have to find ways to make money off of you and are not necessarily reasonable individuals (especially the short lady). Instead, take a chance and change instructors (Remember I emphasized «chance» because the bad instructor experience can repeat!) If you’re lucky like me, you would have gotten the younger long hair guy with Sun Glasses, who speaks English, taught Defensive Driving in John Jay College, he’s phenomenal because he makes you feel great after you’ve been with Schizo-​Alzheimer. Everytime this younger guy (50s) gives you a task and you complete it he say «Yeeeessssss» but it would make a world of a difference if he gave more input and not simply let you drive with few instructions. His route is usually along the FDR Drive starting at Catherine into Seaport and back again.
Well, test time came, they provided a different car altogether that another student and I were used to driving and unfortunately, we both failed. This was in Redhook of course which I’ll write another review about as the proctor deserves a review of his own.

I used this driving school and passed my road test. They have the best value for the price. Each session is 45 minutes, but the lessons are inexpensive. The only thing I would prefer is that they have later hours. Their last class ends at 6PM, so I would take the train from midtown to Chinatown to take class for 45 mins during my lunch. But I would prefer that they had classes after 6PM, so I could have gone after work. Otherwise, great value and I passed my road test! :)

I took classes here 10 lesson and I added on extra 2 lesson right before my road test. I believe I had Mr. kwok, He likes to wear sun glasses and he drives a whiteish grayish Toyota pretty new one too. He was great and I understand there are some instructors here who are not that great but if you don’t like them just ask for a new one. There were signs everywhere that said that if you switch timing or if you skip a class without notice they will charge you extra so when in doubt just ask. I passed my exam on my first try and I highly recommend this place.

The reviews for Wai Man weren’t all that encouraging, but I gambled on it anyways. I pad $ 600 for twenty 45 minute courses. This package also included the safety course (to get your MV-​278 certificate) and a professional instructor to accompany you to two road tests. The 45 minute courses are most effective when they’re bunched into ten 90 minute courses. I had to go through the safety course first before hitting the road. Boring as f*** and I don’t think I absorbed one bit of information from that. Whatever. Not like it’s actually important. I had my first class behind the wheel later that week. You meet the instructor on Forsyth and Broome, in front of the Windsor Hotel. Look out for a 2014 Toyota Corolla LE. They recently got new cars. At first, we only practiced turns. Then, we moved onto U Turns, broken U turns, parallel parking, etc. For my last few lessons, he let me drive over the Manhattan Bridge and I-​278. Fun. I had my last two classes on the morning of my road test. When you’re scheduling classes, always ask to reserve your last two classes on the morning of your test. It’s one of the biggest ways you can boost your chance of passing the test.
I took my road test in Red Hook, Brooklyn this past week with another one of his students. I passed my test the first time with a perfect score. The other student failed after he hit the curb while parallel parking. One of the biggest things I noticed was that he was really invested in his student’s scores. When he found out the other kid failed, he gave him words of encouragement and told him that he would do better next time and treated the other student like his own son. One of the other reviews mentions an instructor that only cared about getting more lessons and money. Not with my teacher. My teacher wanted perfection out of us, he wanted and expected us to pass the first time around, and he was like your typical Asian dad waiting for his son’s first SAT score to come back. My teacher expected that you pass and it almost felt like he was disappointed in himself when you didn’t. It’s a true shame that I never found out what his name was. In Chinese culture, we address teachers as «sifu» instead of by name. Too bad I never found out his name. Unlike the other teachers at the school, he only speaks Cantonese and very little English, but that was never a problem with me. I’m glad I got him instead of the other instructors I’ve heard about from here. It was almost bittersweet when I got my license. I finally got my license, but it was almost sad to know that he won’t be next to me in the passenger seat anymore to scold me after I forget paying attention to the signs or something.
I’ve spoken very glowingly of this place, but if there is one thing that was a real pet peeve of mine from this school, it was the front desk lady. I believe her name is Su. My teacher called her «Su-​Su» and once «that lady upstairs» (LOL!) She schedules your classes well in advance, but has a propensity of changing them at the last minute. She calls me while I’m at work to say that she’s rescheduled my classes for no specific reason. I remember once, she scheduled my class at 1:15 PM. I waited until 1:30 PM, but my instructor didn’t show up. When I went to the office to ask why my teacher hadn’t showed up, she just said «what are you talking about, your class is at 2!» I asked her when that was rescheduled, and she said she called me the previous night but I didn’t pick up. Well, if I didn’t pick up, how the hell was I supposed to know that my class was 45 minutes latter then originally planned? She also tries to convince you to put more money down to get «supplemental classes,» no matter how many times you insist that you don’t think you need them yet. In the end, I just avoided dealing with her. I met my instructor, took my lessons, then went back to doing whatever I had to do. After you pay and take the pre-​licensing course, just go meet your instructor and do your lessons. Try to not go to the office unless you absolutely have to talk to her. She might just go pressure you into putting money down for classes that you may or may not need.
From the previous reviews, it seems like there is at least one instructor here who just sleeps and is indifferent towards their student. Mine was amazing. I wish I had a name to share, but I don’t. He was an amazing teacher and helped me not only pass my road test, but get a perfect score on it as well. As long as you avoid the front desk as much as possible, you’re golden. Good luck!

If I could give this place a negative star I would. I do not like giving negative reviews but I also do not want you to get ripped off like I did. I wasted a total of $ 510 here. The car here is dirty. The wheel is sometimes sticky. The back was filled with newspapers and old coffee cups. The instructor sleeps when teaching. He is often 5 – 10 minutes late too AND I KIDDED YOU NOT!
I paid $ 360 for a package for 10 lessons (45 mins each), two road tests, one movie and car rental for driving tests. I also had a few extra single essons that I paid for. I also paid an extra $ 30 for changing the exam date and was not warn of this. The lady at the front desk-​she said her name is So (the chubby one) said that it is written however it was written in Chinese. How fair of a warning is that? This is America, write it in English. I also paid extra $ 20 for Staten Island road test. She also refused to give me my certificate until I paid for the fee for changing the exam date. She is very rude and unprofessional. She also kept pressuring me to take the road test after I told her many times that I am not ready.
I failed twice here. I took my second road test a few weeks ago and I told So that I was not ready and she still kept pressuring me. This place just wants to rip people off. I am off to find another driving school. The instrutor at Wai Man was happy when I failed and he told me to call So immediately to get more lessons and he said it with a happy face. The two people I took the road test with who also had lessons at Wai Man also failed. One of them failed for a third time and the other one failed for the second time. I really wish someone would warn me about this place. I hope this review will help save you a headache and money.

Well, I do not intentionally want to leave a negative feedback but I will explain why.
They charged me $ 360 for a package of 10 lessons (45 mins each), two road tests, one movie and car rental for driving tests. They only schedule exams in Brooklyn, sometimes staten island but it’s hard! so do not look forward to passing in Red Hook and Starrett where I failed twice! In total I paid $ 750 ish for 20 something lessons and I felt like I learned absolutely nothing! Instructor Kwok only takes you drive around Chinatown and Lower East Side. Even the girl who took the test with me failed THREE TIMES!!!
The car is very dirty. The back seats are filled with the coffee cups he drinks and chinese newspaper. He usually 5 – 10 mins late so you are paying to learn 35 – 40 min per lesson lessons. He steps on the brake a lot even if the person is 10 feet away from the car.
Miss Su is ok. She definitely has a way to convince you to put down the money. She is not good with scheduling driving tests… Do not expect to get a sooner date if you let her make appointments…
In the end of the day, I changed driving school. I highly recommend Express Pass in Brooklyn and ask for Mr. Lai. This man is a prodigy! He diagnosed me in my first class what I’ve been doing wrong. He arrives at least 20 mins early and he doesnt mind if you hop in the car. He makes you drive at least 30 MPH so you can get comfortable with the speed. Ms. Woh is nice too! She could get an appointment for Staten Island in the following week and I didn’t even pay her yet! Each lesson is $ 18!!! Where can you find that?
I am sorry WaiMan… I like both instructor and the desk lady but I have to do this to inform the rest Unilocalers to find a better school to save time and money…

I haven’t taken my driving test yet but today was my 4^th lesson. they do two lessons every class so note that you get only 5 classes but 1:30 each. Great deal on the price. My instructor was kwok and he is a very nice man. if you are too close to other cars hell tell you. he’s a bit of a lisp but hes very social-​able. im 20 and just got my permit so i’ve never driven before. i was terrified of hitting something yesterday at my first class but now i’m more terrified of stupid people crossing the street.

I took 10 lessons at wai man driving school with instructor Kwok. He’s a really good instructor. I was recommended here by some of my friends that took their lessons here with this guy Raymond, but I heard that he sleeps so I requested for a new instructor and was very fortunate to get instructor Kwok because he gave me all the tips that I needed for passing my test. It cost 310 for 10 lessons and 2 tests. I passed the first time!!! WOOOHOOO. how exciting was that :). At first, I didn’t really like this school because they took a long time to help me schedule the appointments, in fact, I had to call several times before they did help me set up my schedule –_​_​-​. But I was really happy with my result! I do recommended instructor Kwok. Good luck :)

Note: this review is for a HIGHWAY lesson and I already had my license when I took this lesson.
However, I can testify that two of my friends who took lessons here passed their road tests.
What you all want to know:
–The receptionist speaks little English.
–The instructor speaks English. I can’t testify how great his English is though because my lesson was taught mostly in Chinese other than Turn Left/​Turn Right — but that is because I’m comfortable with both languages.
–It was $ 38 for one 45 min highway lesson, but you have to take 2 — so it was $ 76 for 1.5 hrs.
They ask you to arrive ½ hr before your lesson at the actual office to pay first. Then you have 30 min to walk 3 blocks… Let’s get real now, it only takes at most 5 minutes to walk that, but most people are late (myself included) so the ½ hr buffer works.
Tip: grab some bubble tea and snacks along the way.
Then you meet the instructor on the corner of Forsyth and Broome, right in front of the hotel.
My experience:
I had Wai Man, driving in an early 2000 Gold Toyota Corolla. Take note of the license plate though because there are easily two student driving gold Corolla’s around.
My first impression of Wai Man was that… does this guy know what he’s doing??? He was very nonchalant with a toothpick hanging from his mouth. There was no introduction or anything and he didn’t seem very personable. This changes later on.
I told him specifically I wanted to drive over the bridge and on the highway and that I’m a little nervous because I haven’t driven over a year.
He told me to take the car for a spin around the block a few times to gauge if I’m ready. He accessed my capabilities and said I was ready, so off we went!
I drove over the Manhattan Bridge, onto the BQE and drove all the way to Bensonhurst, drove to 86^th street to grab him some lai cha, drove back via Ocean Pkwy, Prospect Expwy, back on the BQE, Manhattan Bridge, Chinatown.
Wai Man was really great at encouraging me and gave me a lot of confidence — which I learned is the biggest ingredient to being a good driver. He would spurt out «Yes!» when you do something right. At first, it was a little odd, but after a while I noticed myself seeking those yeses hoping for approval! He was great at giving me a lot of control and ownership.
With his encouragement, I can honestly say I made more improvements in this lesson than I ever have learning with anyone else. I felt calm and natural, especially knowing he has brakes on his side of the car too. He also gave constructive criticism and tips when needed.
After a while, I didn’t even remember I was taking a lesson. It felt like I was driving my uncle around Brooklyn to run errands. We talked and socialized — I know some people are not comfortable with that so don’t be shy to say you need to concentrate.
All in all, I felt like I gained a lot of confidence from this lesson and I can say I am very proud of my progress. I highly recommend this place!