Economic Driving School (Specialties, History, Reviews)

Specialties

• Teaching teenagers and students with disabilities.
• Defensive driving.

History Established in 1978

Don Meyer and Donnell Jackson, owners of Economic Driving School attended San Jose State University where they earned their teaching credentials in 1974. At the same time they earned Designated Teaching Credentials in Public Safety and Accident Prevention, including Driver Education & Driver Training. Both partners have taught Driver Education and Training in high schools throughout the Santa Clara Valley and in 1978 established Economic Driving School.
Now 35 years later, Economic Driving School proudly serves the communities of Hollister, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, San Jose, Cupertino, Campbell, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Mountain View, Redwood City, and San Carlos. EDS also offers the Online Driver Education course throughout the state of California.
In 2011 Economic Driving School began offering the Mature Driver course for adults 55 years of age and older that want to brush up on their driving skills and reduce their automobile insurance.

Meet the Business Owners

Don Meyer and Donnell Jackson have owned and operated Economic Driving School for the past 35 years. In addition to operating EDS both Don and Donnell have been public school teacher for the past 38 years..

EDS has always been committed to providing our students with the best possible educational experience. Students that are happy with the courses they take through EDS refer their friends to our school.

Reviews

11/15/2012

Economic Driving School is the most responsive of them all. Courteous and convenient. The classroom sections was terrific and my daughter actually liked it.
Her driving instructor, Caroline, was amazing. She was knowledgeable, patient and my daughter actually was excited about driving. Highly recommended.

James S. Santa Clara, Ca.

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7/15/2012

My daughter was worried about learning how to drive. I talked to a number of her friends who suggested I contact Economic Driving School for her Driver Training. I went to their online site where all the Driver Training instructors are listed. I called Sam Dennis who described the six hour course and provided a detailed overview of what he covers while teaching. Sam arrived at our house on time for each lesson. He was very relaxed and my daughter was as ease while taking her training. She practiced everything she learned with me until she felt comfortable to take her test for her license at the DMV. Economic Driving School has a very complete A – Z checklist that Sam continuously reviewed. She passed her test on the first attempt. I would definitely recommend Economic Driving School.

Sherry G. San Jose, Ca.

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6/25/2012

As a sixteen year old, I was nervous about learning to drive. Jens Holmgren did a phenomenal job teaching me the behind-the-wheel section of the course. He was kind, patient, courteous – all important features in someone teaching a potentially dangerous activity. After my six hours of driving with him, I now feel extraordinarily prepared to drive – as well as very excited!

Mike M. Campbell, Ca.

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6/18/2012

Peter F. came highly recommended. He delivered. Flexible schedule, convenient.

Most of all – he taught my son the important things about driving. My son is a better driver because of this experience. I highly recommend EDS and Peter F as the hands-on driving instructor.

Austin K. San Jose, Calif.

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4/26/2012

I went into drivers training a little nervous but as soon as my instructor, Jens Holmgren, came to the door and introduced himself, I felt relieved because he was such a nice guy. He really taught me to be a better driver. He and I got along well and he actually made drivers training fun. He preps you very well for the drivers test. He explains in detail what the instructors look for on the real drivers test and he gives you things that you can work on. Jens even directed me to the DMV that I will be taking my Drivers test at and gave me a small practice test. Overall, Jens is a great guy, knows the rules of the road, and preps you well for test day. Definitely a GREAT choice for your drivers training!

Richard S. San Jose, Ca.

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9/5/2011

Both my son and daughter completed all of their driver training preparation with EDS. They were great!!! Both completed the four-day classroom course with EDS. The course was thorough and filled with a variety of activities, videos, practice tests, etc. The EDS course is as much a life-skills class as a drivers’ education class. They easily passed the DMV test after finishing this course.
The Behind-the-Wheel instructors, Frank and Jens, were just superb. Needless to say, taking my daughter on the freeway was not something I relished, but Frank had my daughter on the freeway the first day. She came home after just one session a much more confident driver. Jens was also patient, professional, experienced and a great match personally for my son. Both instructors arrived at my house on time and returned on time. Both were excellent.
Dealing with EDS was a breeze. Don, the owner, promptly returned all phone calls and answered all questions. They have being doing this for over thirty years.
My insurance agent was looking for a reputable driving school for his own daughter. I forwarded him the information on EDS, he used them, and now recommends them to his own clients.
EDS made the driving training experience a “smooth road” for both myself and my two teens.
Richard K. San Jose, Ca.

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8/20/2011

This is a great driving school. The only other driving school I tried was Allied and the woman that was the instructor there was pretty nasty to you if you made a mistake in any way. At this school the instructor Cliff is really calm and goes out of his way to explain why its important to do certain things when your driving. I can’t recommend this school enough.

Keshav S Cupertino, Calif.

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6/17/2011

I took Economic Driving School’s Driver’s Education class and I felt very satisfied with the experience. I was originally debating whether or not to take the class with an online company, but I decided that an in-person class would be a better learning environment. I feel that the EDS class was more helpful than any online class because of the variety of instructional material they provided. For example, we watched many videos about the rules of the road as well as how to take care of a car. In addition, many worksheets and practice tests were provided to supplement our learning. A heavy emphasis was placed on having the right attitude while driving and strictly avoiding driving under the influence, which I don’t think I would have been taught properly without a human instructor. My teacher shared many of his personal experiences with us and told us about what really happens on the roads, despite the rules that are printed in the driver’s handbook. All in all, I think the EDS class is the best choice for Driver’s Education because the personal learning experience is invaluable.

Inga L San Jose, Calif. _____________________________________________________

6/15/2011

I’m the first child in my family and my parents were immigrants who got their licenses over 15 years ago. I’m 15.5 and I wanted my permit, so I asked my friend where to go. Both of her older brothers went to Economic Driving School and got their licenses and permits by the time they were 16. So, I signed up and for $165 total, I received lessons from a qualified instructor, an actual certified teacher at a middle school in California who knew how to drive as well as handle a classroom full of teens. He was very emphatic and knew from personal experience what we needed to know not only on the permit and license test, but for real-life situations as well.
A lot of people these days take Driver’s Ed online, but I think it’s just not as interactive and helpful as taking an actual course with an actual teacher. You can’t ask a computer program specific questions and expect detailed, correct, and up-to-date responses, and it isn’t even that much cheaper to take it online.
For four days, we were at a nice well-conditioned conference room in Cupertino City Hall from 8:30am-4pm and watched videos about driving and studied road rules from worksheets and books. It was really rigorous and intense but it really helped prepare me for the test. Our teacher really drilled things into our brains but at the same time he didn’t overload us with useless random facts. At the end of the four days, we took a “final exam” similar to the one that the DMV used, and every student passed. Our teacher told us, only one student in all his years of teaching (many, many years) who fell asleep during the test, did not pass. At the beginning of the course, I knew nothing about driving, I didn’t even know what I needed to get my permit, but even on the first day, I became a lot more knowledgeable about the road, and an expert on the ways of the DMV.
They teach you step by step, everything you need to know to get a permit or become a licensed driver and more! I definitely recommend anyone seeking a permit/license to take this course.

Margarita K. San Jose, Ca.

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5/10/2011

My instructor was Sam Dennis. I made sure to research which driving school I was going to pick, and I am very satisfied with the choice I made. It had been more than six years since I last drove in Europe and I could only drive manual so everything was new to me. Sam was very patient and helpful, very easy to communicate with, and overall a very nice guy. He’s also always on time for appointments and calls to confirm in advance! I would definitely recommend him!

Christina G. Los Gatos, Ca.

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8/8/2010

My instructor clearly explained the procedures and was very interested in our learning. When we asked him questions, he answered them clearly and simply. He was patient ant courteous and explained to us anything we did not understand. He was also very knowledgeable and was able to fully explain everything. He was also very personable and made Drivers Ed very entertaining. The classes began and ended on time and our instructor made very good use of time, and stayed clearly on schedule. Overall, i had a very good experience with Economic Driving School. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in taking Drivers Ed.

Sarah I. Santa Clara, Ca.

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8/1/2010

My Driver Ed. instructor was a high school teacher and was very comfortable teaching teenagers. He explained the class’s schedule every morning and periodically throughout the day. He encouraged us to ask many questions and he was enthusiastic to answer them. My instructor was extremely patient (although our class wasn’t really that rowdy) and he was very courteous of our needs. He knew what he was teaching practically inside and out and he delivered the information we needed to know through personal stories, videos, and worksheets. Lastly, my instructor made excellent use of his time. The class always started on time and ended on time if not earlier. Throughout the class period, each student completed what needed to be done in our teacher’s time limit. My instructor was a great teacher and I would suggest people to go through the Economic Driving School to receive their driver’s permit and license.

Rachel M. Los Gatos, Ca.

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6/21/2010

The instructor was clear, knowledgeable, and gave examples of both “book answers” and “real world answers.” He thoroughly explained the handbook in terms we could understand, and was also very patient with some kids who were misbehaving. He understood that an 8:30 to 4:00 class is not easy to get through in summertime, and kindly gave us small breaks to stretch. We did not waste any time in class. Everything was devoted to learning the material, and we started and ended on time everyday. Overall, this class was an excellent source of information about the rules of the road, and I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to take a Drivers Ed class.

Joseph W. Cupertino, Calif.

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6/18/2010

This class seriously prepared me for driving on the road. Initially, entering the class, every day I learned something new about how to drive defensively and how to pass the driving road test. Thanks to Mrs. O’Byrne and her passionate attitude about safe driving, I feel very prepared for Driver’s training. I’ll be continuing my preparation for a driver’s license with Economic Driving School’s comprehensive behind the wheel sessions. I recommend all of you to also go here to learn how to drive!

Dawnn C. San Jose, Calif.

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Update – 4/5/2010

My son has just finished his 6 hours behind the wheel with Instructor Cliff. Very good instructor. Our overall experience with Economic Driving has been very positive and I would recommend this school to anyone with a new teenage driver.

Linda S. Santa Clara, Ca.

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4/15/2010

As I progress into learning more about driving, my instructor helped me 10x more than my parents did! He told me things I ALWAYS need to look out for, how I should approach freeway merging, parking space etc. Even though it’s required to drive with an instructor, I would have taken this program even if it wasn’t mandatory.

On the first day, we jumped onto the freeway, and he told me, “The freeway isn’t anything different from driving on an expressway because all you’re doing is same thing on a expressway. Other cars are moving/passing you around your pace, and you always keep a cushion like you would on an expressway.” That helped me substantially and calmed me down. On the second day, driving on the freeway wasn’t a heart-dropper, I didn’t feel as worried as I was.

By the third day, he said, “We are going to pretend that you are actually taking your test for your license” and he took me around pretending it was a test by no talking, making sure I did my traffic checks (look left, right, then left again), blinker, looking over my shoulder when I made a lane change etc.

When my instructor took me out for the drives, he took me on loops that may be an everyday occurrence or some day I will eventually come to. He took me on mountain roads with tons of turns, expressways, busy cities with tons of pedestrians, places where there are always people lane changing and to watch out for them, residential area’s with a lot of parked cars so I needed to pay attention more and finally a straight away like Highway 5 where it’s just a straight drive and very boring. I’ve driven with my parents before I went with an instructor (forgot about the first instructor rule, makes your permit legal) but now, I’ve driven 30 mins on a freeway, easiest thing I’ve ever done.

I took a class, instead of doing it online, so the results/reviews may vary of being successful and remembering stuff, but it’s nothing too different. I recommend going to a class, even though it sounds like it sucks and feels like you’ll be there forever, but you are more concentrated, they make bait tests so you remember stuff more, and make it feel like you’re taking a permit test, and get a booklet of rules, so studying that makes it easier to ace the permit, instead of having to remember everything online. They show you A LOT of videos in certain situations like a 4 way stop, making

Kevin M. Santa Clara, Ca.

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4/23/2010

My Son took the classroom drivers education from Economic. Cost was great and my son had a good time and learned a ton. They offer online and classroom via community centers and local Schools around town. We are waiting to get his permit and will enroll him in economic for the 6 hours behind the wheel training as well.
Emails and Calls were answered by the owner very quickly.

Isabel O. San Jose, Ca. _____________________________

2/2/2010

After having gone through 2 instructors from other schools and having failed the driving test 3 times (yes… 3…) I was really wary of the whole driving lessons experience.

However, I am very glad I called EDS! Specifically instructor Keith Adams, following the previous review here on Yelp. He was very patient, encouraging and easy-going. He explained things in a logical way and gave me more confidence to drive around.

Also, he was always on time, very important when you are paying hourly.

Highly recommendable school and instructor!

Sean G. San Jose, Ca.

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