Professional Driving School of the Americas, Inc. — Local services in New York

I’m very fortunate to have found this school but even luckier to have an amazing group of instructors / gems to work with: Alberto, Zach and Helen. I highly recommend learning with all 3, each for their own reasons. Aside from the fact all 3 have amazing personalities and great sense of humor (from what I’ve read based on reviews from other schools, this seems to be very rare!). Also, this is long so sorry not sorry.

For a first time driver, Alberto is perfect to learn with. With his calm, professional demeanor and consistent feedback he sets you up for success for future lessons and more importantly, the road test. He’s extremely helpful throughout each lesson with giving clear instructions, reminders to check blind spots, etc. and gives you the building blocks to become a mindful, confident and safe driver. Parallel parking always seemed super confusing and difficult to me but Alberto was amazing with helping identify when to turn the wheel, find the 45 degree angle (yes, geometry is BACK!) and align between vehicles. Once parked he usually takes out the drivers manual and reads from it to ensure I understand each step is needed to park correctly and safely. At the end of each lesson, there’s feedback and a recap of what we focused on, what can improve and be worked on for the next lesson. He also asks if there’s any questions, reminding you that that car is essentially a classroom. Also to call out he takes the route along Gramercy Park which is the best spot to learn how to drive in a chaotic city.

Zach is another instructor who is fantastic to learn with! He’s also very calm, extremely positive, easy going and makes you feel comfortable and secure throughout the lesson. At the beginning of a lesson he asks what I’d like to focus on for the day, he’ll add to the agenda anything we haven’t worked on already / for awhile and if it has been awhile, he’ll take his time doing a recap of what we’ve covered and safety reminders. Using that time in that way is so valuable and thoughtful and ensures each lesson is set up for success. Throughout the lessons he always is open to any questions and takes time breaking down answers. Before my road test, he was open to giving me a mock test which was super helpful!!

Helen is also lovely and really warm. She has a complete girl power vibe and is gentle with how she teaches and like Alberto and Zach, is firm when she needs to be. My highlight is when II switched lanes and she clapped excitedly for me, genuinely pleased that I did that so well. For such a small act it was evident she is anyone’s cheerleader. Although I’ve only been taught by her a couple times I appreciate her recognizing how comfortable I seemed along Gramercy and she knew to get me out of my comfort zone into an entirely different part of the city on the lower east side. Driving on Houston and Delancey I got a good feel for driving in traffic and building confidence (sensing a theme here?). For my first road test* Helen was the one to drive me to the site. She checked in on how I was feeling and reassured me it would go well. Even though I failed, I still felt so good that I had someone so encouraging with me. Before the test, she went the extra mile making sure I practiced parking on hills or doing 3 point turns in tight streets just in case I encountered that on the test. Her prep work and character is really amazing.

To summarize this school is worth every penny and I really encourage people to consider driving with Alberto, Zach and Helen. They’re all outstanding and I think critical to being able to drive at a beginner level to advanced. Also, quick shout out to Emy and reception who are always so courteous and flexible with scheduling with my insane work schedule!

** = Yes if failed the first road test but it’s a right of passage cause I’m a NYer and I’m new to this 🤗

UPDATE: I passed the...

First of all, I would like to say that this is going to be a long detailed review because this amazing school doesn’t deserve less. I can confidently say that the Professional Driving School of the Americas is the best driving school in New York City! I feel so lucky that I found this school and that they helped me pass my road test. Wilma is an amazing kind lady who cares about her students. This school is not only a business for her but her passion. She is a person who cares about her students and makes sure that they build their skills to be ready to pass the road test. Her staff is also amazing. Emy is a very kind person inside and out who assisted me whenever I needed help. My work schedule is a bit complex which required me to practice very early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Emy made me an amazing schedule so I was able to focus on my driving skills without getting worried. Another sweet lady who assisted me was Mei. She followed up with me before the road test and made sure that I had my documents ready.

I have a driver’s license from my home country but after living in NYC for almost 6 years, I thought that It was time to get my driver’s license in the states. After completing my pre-licensing course, they assigned my first instructor Manny. Manny was a great Instructor and after the first lesson, he was able to determine what we needed to focus on. I have always been anxious about being behind the wheel, but he made sure that I overcome my fears and was focused when I was driving. Throughout our lessons, he helped me to get over my anxiety when driving in New York City. I also had the privilege to have a lesson with Joel. Joel is an extremely helpful instructor who has decades of experience in this field and helped me with my 3-point turn and parking skills.

Zach was my last instructor who helped me to reach a point where I was extremely comfortable driving behind the wheel, making great turns, and parking in any spot without any problem. Zach has a great sense of humor. The minute we met, he put me at ease and he helped me to improve my skills to pass the road test. Zach was very patient with me. Whenever I made a mistake, he gave me very clear feedback so I wouldn’t repeat it. We always started/ended our lessons on time. Also, Zach takes amazing care of his car. Driving in a nice clean car really makes a difference. I passed my exam in Staten Island, Fox Hills. I had a great early morning lesson on the day of my exam. Zach boosted my confidence and I passed my exam thanks to him. I believe that mentally being ready for the road test is key to success and Zach made it happen. I highly recommend Zach to anyone who wants to pass this test because he makes sure that you do!

To sum up, anyone will benefit greatly from having the support services of this kind and caring school. I can’t thank Wilma and her amazing...

This people awful they lied to me they just took my money 412 $ and than they kept lying to me about my road test qppointment that they gonna let me know sending me the mail etc but they never did actually. And they dont refund the money either. They are very dangeruos i completly felt that they robbed me. Scamed me. I cant trust people like that. They lied to me unfortunetly i had to figure out myself that already they had my appontment booked on dmv and they werent be able to send me the appointment and let me know on time. Hahhaha when i called the lady she said o yeah i have ur appointment i gonna send it to u never did. So tell me how can i trust people like that ? Guys pls stay away from this driving school. Dont waste ur time n money w this people. This people dont drserve either 1 dollar.

U already promised to me on monday ur ginna let me know on monday u never did. N today i called u again f my appointment u still didnt sent it to me after my mail either. So cant trust. U didnt keep ur promieses n now ur tryna clear ur hands. U already shudve let me knkw on monday when u promised to me. And also u guys know that i coming from pennsylvabia and i asked u to let me know on time days n days ago before my appointment. U made me completly uncomftable. And now that i dont want ur servjce after all this u dont wanna eveb refund back my money the car and 1 hour lesson amount coz im not taking ur services. Yes u also made mistake when i went practice to driving i trusted u thas why i didnt check the mail. I asked u to have time for me 2-4 pm. And the lady she booked for me 3-5 pm. So thas whas her mistake she is the 1 who shoudv4 apologized from me. Thas when i asked back refund back the 1 hour class money and she said she is not doing it ik u guys dony refund momey. Ik u guys already i have a very bad experience w u thas why i want back my money.

1 thing i can tell guys stay away from this people. The other driving school the lady she sent me back the money coz i coudng find my learner permit id and she sent it to ke back the wjole money. But this people this company very unfair. Be really really carefull is too much money on the risk them to be like that. This is completly horrible. Be very very very carefulll. I working hard for every dollar and i payed too much money to this people. And finally i dont want them service after all this stress they gave me no wonder that i dont wanna deal w them anymore and they not be able to refund back my money. They...