Olson’s Silicon Valley Driving School

Looks like Unilocal delete my previous review for Olson’s Silicon valley Driving school. Since that was in different style. 10 years ago I have get my driver’s license because of Mr. Randolph’s awesome instructions. First day of my driving he took me to Piedmont hills near Milpitas and that was really fun drive and at some point scary too ;) But as he said going uphill will improve your control on car and you will learn how to control car better instead of just plain roads. That was true and in first attempt I was able to pass that test and got my driver’s ;incense. 10 years ago they have a link on their website which takes me to email them but in 10 years that email address is not working anymore/​That is a minus point indeed I trust this driving school and giving them 5 stars if they add email address to their website that will be great.

We’ve had our first lesson with Olson’s and are very pleased. The instructor was very patient, on time, and has had plenty of experience – over 5 years. He was a native english speaker, so my children did not have any trouble understanding what he was teaching them. The price is slightly higher than other schools (not by a huge amount), but I feel comfortable knowing that my kids are getting the best instruction available.

I’ve been driving about a year now since getting my license, and I just came across the old papers that I received from the driving instructor (I believe his name was Jared) and I am able to practice all the tips today that he wrote down specifically for me to practice. I believe that they had a big hand in helping me become a safer and more confident driver prior to getting my license. I only took one star away for the price, because it was very high for a college student on her own, and it was hard for me to pay for it. I ended up thinking of it as an investment.
I had one session, and the instructor was great. Nice and very professional. He made me feel a lot less nervous, which I think was my biggest problem. He picked me up by my college, took me to different type of areas, especially the type of area that my DMV test would be in.

These guys rock! My daughter got her license on the first try! Jaret was very patient with our daughter (a very nervous driver) and gave her plenty of useful information about what she should expect during the behind the wheel test.

We relied on personal referrals from family, friends and Unilocal reviewers when we needed to find an instructor for our oldest daughter and are very pleased that we chose Olson’s Silicon Valley Driving School.
During the course she had two instructors and both were focused on training her to be a safe and skillful driver. Once she scheduled her test at the DMV Olson’s worked with her one last time to help refresh her skills and focus her on what she would encounter during her DMV driving test. While many of her friends failed the first time, we are proud to say that our daughter passed. She credited her instructors for making the difference. We do too.
We will use this business again when it is time for our youngest daughter to train for her driving test.

They don’t return phone calls. I’ve already scheduled my son’s lessons elsewhere.

We have had a great experience with Olson’s Silicon Valley Driving School! They have been very responsive to phone calls, easy to schedule appointments, and easy to make changes when I had to change an appointment. They even came up with a very creative solution to my schuding problem! My son had a class at San Jose State that ended at 4PM on the day of his second lesson. They picked him up from SJSU and did his downtown driving, and freeway driving, then they drove home!
They have been EXCELLENT to work with, and I highly recommend them!
Ask for Jared if you can get him! He’s excellent!

AMAZING!!! Friendly, professional, skilled. When my 16 year old needed to have behind the wheel lessons I had originally started looking for the cheapest (which they are not). However… I came to realize that my daughter would be learning a skill that I should not be going the cheap route on. She needed to learn from the best of the best, which I found them to be. Andrea, who sets up all of the appointments is very sweet and was super understanding and had no problem working around my daughter’s sports and social schedule. I paid for each lesson on the day of, never had any issues. Mr. Olson himself was my daughter’s driving instructor and I am sure she may have scared the life out of him a few times, but she said he always remained calm and explained everything to her in detail and made sure she understood what he was talking about. We scheduled the last driving lesson 3 days prior to her DMV test so that they could do a mock test (they actually did 3) in the Santa Teresa DMV area. When they were done, he told me exactly what she needed to improve on and how I could help teach her — and 3 days later my daughter was the proud new holder of a CA driver’s license! This school was absolutely amazing, everything about it. They may seem a little pricey compared to the other schools out there, but after reading the other reviews and Olson’s reviews — I knew my daughter’s life was more important than saving a few dollars. I would highly recommend them to my family and friends when their children are ready to have some behind the wheel lessons.

I contacted them and left them a message and they call me back soon after that.
I needed a class for behind the wheel exam since I am new to the states I needed someone to tell me the rules. My session with the Mr. (I don’t remember his name) was amazing he gave me so much confidence which I really needed. He was so patient and told me what I needed to know.
In that session I gave them a check which later they called and let me know that I forgot to sign it, the next day I send them the check with post but I don’t know why I received the check after 3 days :(
I was so embarrassed that i drove there and gave them the check myself. but the whole time they were so so respectful which I appreciate it very much.
I totally recommend them they are experienced and respectful people.
By the way I passed my exam after that session :)

This school really is as good as it gets. I was contacted by phone the day after I called to inquire about lessons, and I scheduled 6 sessions right away. I requested Randolph based on his raving reviews, and he really is an awesome instructor.
This school is different from other driving schools because their sessions are very comprehensive. They cover freeway, downtown, parking, hills, and neighborhoods, as well as practice driving tests. The instructor will personalize your lessons after he/​she sees where your weak spots are and will challenge you to improve those skills so that by the time you’re done with your sessions you’ll not only be ready to pass the driving test, but also drive safely every day. The price per lesson is worth it for the high quality, personalized, and comprehensive instruction that you’ll receive. I passed my test the first time with only 5 errors! :) Thank you, OSVDS and Randolph!

They don’t answer the telephone. Maybe gone out of business?

I contacted the school shortly after my daughter passed the required Drivers Education course, thinking she would be ready for driving right away. Well, the permit thing took a bit longer… try a year. So now we are in a pinch because she is just turning 18, needs to drive to work and school like yesterday.
Well they saved the day! We doubled up on classes — she did the initial three and then they added some more. 6 classes total in about three weeks plus lots of driving with mom = passed drivers test with only one defect.
Thank you so much for the help and flexibility. Randolph is awesome and we are big fans. I will be going the more traditional training route with my other daughter starting next year. Can’t wait to use them again!

Apparently these guys are super awesome at teaching driving but I will never know. Because they do not return phone calls to numbers outside the 408 area code.
Dear Olsons.
Ever heard of the cell phone? You can move to Maine and have a 408 number. Does that mean you’re going to return that call and not return mine even though I am in San Jose?
I guess they don’t care because they are booked out for some 3 months anytime…

We had tried another driving instructor that did not give my son the confidence he needed to drive. Mr. Randolph was calm and patient and taught him good habits so that he was able to pass his driving test the first time. I’m very satisfied with the service provided.

This driving school worked perfectly for my needs.
Everything about the lessons went perfectly.
Although they are not the cheapest option available, their service makes a few extra dollars completely worth it.
Of all my friends, I’m the only person I know (other than people that used this same school) that actually enjoyed their lessons and felt like the instructor was trying to help. Many of their teachers would make them drive to the supermarket to pick up groceries or other chores rather than driving on streets that would help them become better drivers. Randolph, however, clearly focuses on teaching in the best way to maximize practice in the short time given during the lessons. I always felt comfortable driving with him in the car, even when he took me on some slightly challenging roads during the first lesson.
All of the logistics, such as setting up the lessons, all went smoothly and he always arrived perfectly on time. I would definitely recommend this service (and already have to my friends interested in taking driving lessons). Make sure the schedule well in advance of the lessons, as he appears to be extremely popular!

I am very satisfied with the service I was given. Although this is definitely not one of the cheapest, in fact it’s probably one of the most expensive, schools out there, their service was definitely top-​notch.
Like most driving schools, they require half of the fee upfront; I paid somewhere around $ 300 – 400 for the 6-​hour programme, but their rates seem to change. This is where my only complaint comes in… They are nearly ALWAYS booked: I waited a month and a half for my first lesson.
Fortunately, you can schedule all three of your appointments at once, which does cut down the waiting time, dramatically.
The lessons themselves were perfect. Mr. Olson was friendly, knowledgeable, and punctual. Everything he went over was geared towards teaching me how to pass the test, and during our final lesson, we even took the 40 minute drive to the Los Gatos DMV (which I also recommend, haha) to go over possible testing scenarios. And, of course, I passed my test the first time.
I would definitely recommend Olson’s Driving School to anybody with confidence.

I am extremely happy with this driving school. Their fees are not listed on their website, and it’s my assumption it is so they can talk to you in person.
It was priced higher than some of the discount schools, but I feel it was worth every dollar (and we live on a very frugal budget).
I made the first payment before the first lesson (and to get the required DMV form for her permit), and then when Mr. Olson came for the 2^nd lesson, he collected the balance due. He was professional, smiled freely and my daughter felt completely comfortable in the car with him. (This was mainly a concern of mine)
When I called the office, I usually left a voicemail, but the outgoing message is clear about messages. If I called early in the day, I would usually get a call that afternoon. If I called later, I’d get a return call by the next day.
The woman who scheduled the appointments was always polite and seemed unfazed by my daughters busy schedule. It seems they are quite used to working with teens & their schedules.
We made my daughters behind-​the-​wheel test appointment, and scheduled her last driving session the day before. (which was according to their recommendation). A few weeks after that I received a call making sure she had them both scheduled. They made a point to note when her permit was expiring, and wanted her to schedule both with enough time in advance. I certainly appreciated their thoroughness.
At the last session, Randolph asked where she was testing and they drove there to specifically go over different testing scenarios for that location. He also made notes as to what she still should work on.
My daughter passed her first time with a high score. Most of her friends (who used other companies) did not. I am confident that it is from the quality teaching and the personable demeanor of Mr. Olson.
One other thing that sold me on the company was the communication. Not only on the phone making appointments, but with the instructor & my daughter.
Let me say this clearly yet delicately… While I love living in such a diverse area, some people can have a very thick accent that can be difficult to understand. When a person is learning a new skill — particularly with life or death potential such as driving, I feel clear communication & understanding is imperative. This doesn’t necessarily exclude anyone who speaks English as a second language. I don’t care who the person is or where he/​she comes from… the instructions must be easy to understand. I found this to be extremely true for Olson’s Silicon Valley Driving School, and not so when I called some of the other popular schools.
My son is a few months away from permit eligibility and we will most certainly use this company again.

Excellent driving school. Checked out other driving schools reviews, prices and decided on Olson’s Silicon Valley Driving School. Word of caution on the other driving schools, most are pay up front for 3 two hour lessons. While it may seem cheaper, the first lesson is easy to schedule, the rest very difficult to schedule and what can you do when you paid up front. At Olson’s Silicon Valley Driving School, you pay as you go per lesson. With my daughter leaving for college, we were pressed for time to get her driver’s license. We scheduled her for three lessons (and two more just in case). Her driving instructor was Mr. Randolph. He is calm, patient and always on time for the lessons. On my daughters first day of instruction they drove around town to determine her level of experience. At times they would pull over and Mr. Randolph would use a small white board to illustrate conditions to watch for while driving. His positive attitude and experience instills confidence. Heck my daughter drove on the highway on her first day! Note: none of the lessons seemed rushed to my daughter. On the third lesson, they practiced for the driving test. My daughter was ready for the test, but we were overly cautious and had her take another lesson. They basically practiced around the area she would take the test. When she took the test she passed, missing only four points! It’s funny, as we waited for her to take her test, three out of five cars before her failed. Those cars returned within five minutes… so sad
If you want your son or daughter to learn how to drive safely go to Olson’s Silicon Driving School. Don’t waste your time and money at those other schools. They may get their license, but they won’t know how to drive.

why do they bother staying in business if they will not answer their phone or return phone calls? there is also no info about fees on their web site, and i didn’t see any way to contact them, but i will go back and look for that.

This company must not need any business as I’ve emailed them for information as well as left phone messages and NO one gets back you you!