Derek Brown's Academy Of Driving - Calgary

I had very little driving experience before taking my course at Derek Brown’s. I was extremely nervous, and terrified getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. My instructor Qusay was absolutely AMAZING! I enjoyed all the laughs, all our conversations about his experiences as a driver, our families, our cultures and about the rules of the road. He had a way of putting me at ease while driving, and made me feel more confident! Qusay is an outstanding instructor, and is very thorough with everything he teaches you. He makes sure you know absolutely everything about driving, and makes sure you are safe while you drive. You can tell he takes pride in what he does. Thank you Qusay for being so awesome!

Currently taking the Basic Class 5 course, so far so good!. I had Qusay as my driving instructor for my classes. His Instructions were concise, straightforward and practical. Also liked the occasional side banter together, which helped make things more comfortable and enjoyable. Furthermore, he has definitely helped me become more confident with driving, especially on highways, as his instructions helped ease any anxiety I had with any maneuvers. All together, Qusay is a great instructor who is approachable and very down to earth too!

Had a wonderful experience taking my airbrake endorsement class today. Honestly i was not expecting too much as it is mostly a theory class and you never know how those are going to be, but i have to say it was a lot more engaging and overall fun that i expected! Robert S. was a fantastic teacher and was very engaging with each student and created a very enjoyable and fun environment. At the end of the day we did our on hands test of the air braking system in the truck and was also very fun. The teacher (the owner who i forgot the name of but was awesome!) made us feel very comfortable and accepted at whatever level we were at. I can honestly say I learned a lot today and was a day well spent. Recommend for sure!

I began the process of studying for my class 1 license in September. Today I just passed my final road test and got my license. Super happy with this school, special shout out to Sue in the office for everything when it came to booking my test. And extra huge thanks to Sonny and Wendel, my main instructors. Those two are worth their weight in gold and they were the ones to give me the confidence I needed to remain calm and relaxed and ace my test. Couldn’t thank them enough. I had a phenomenal examiner from Alberta transport. During my exam they taught me things that I wish the classroom portion could be more thorough, but I understand it’s provincial guidelines that they must follow. Either way, I would do it all again with these guys if I could.

Ahmed is a fantastic instructor who is both professional and kind, and he knows how to make driving enjoyable. He's a straightforward, down-to-earth guy who only wants you to be safe behind the wheel. He'll show you not just how to drive safely on the road, but also provide you driving advice. Learning with Ahmed was totally worth it. You will not be disappointed that you chose him to teach you!

I was really please with the experience I had with Derek Brown’s Academy Of Driving.I was very fortunate to have Ahmed Alelayawi as my driving instructor. He was very professional,friendly,patient and knowledgeable. I had little experience driving,he taught me the skills and techniques which helped me build my confidence in my driving. Ahmed help me with my fear of driving he made me feel very comfortable and at ease. I highly recommend Ahmed for future students. Thanks Ahmed!

I was 15 studying toward my class 5 license with Derek Browns and both instructors I had were excellent. Dr.Raad was able to answer every question I had without hesitation, and my in vehicle instructor Robert was extremely nice and fun to talk to. I passed my drivers test with not demerits, without some of his tips I’m sure that would’ve never happened. Overall my experience with Derek Browns was excellent and I would recommend to anyone who wants to expand their driving skills.

I had an overall good experience at Derek Brown's Academy of Driving, I believe that there were great parts of my education as well as parts where there could be improvement. I would've appreciated if there was an option to do the in class portion online, but I understand that this was taken away after the peak of the pandemic. Nonetheless, my instructor Hassan was great to have. He had a great sense of humour, provided snacks, and gave practical guidance to all students. The course went by quickly with him, and you could tell he had lots of experience. With the driving portion, the instructors I had were very kind people with good intentions, they were polite to me and took me to various areas of the city. I noticed that both instructors had a tendency to grab the wheel to assist me when doing maneuvers instead of allowing me to do them myself, while this was helpful at the start, but I would've appreciated a bit more independence. They also missed some points that driving examiners look for, such as placing the parking brake during hill parks, and checking and slowing for uncontrolled intersections. Both teachers brought up my confidence by telling me I was a good driver and assuring me that I was safe on the roads, which was excellent. However, I do believe their patience with beginners could be improved, as I often felt rushed to change lanes, and they would get frustrated with me relatively quickly. Derek Brown's taught me a steady base to learn from, and I am appreciative of all individuals I interacted with, but I also wanted to leave feedback to help this company grow and thrive.