Tom's Auto Driving School - Riverside, Connecticut

Alex

Tom did teach me how to drive smoothly, but the overall instruction was low quality and not worth the price. He barely covered the rules of the road, and on my very first lesson, he just told me to start driving—what if I had never driven before? There was no walkthrough, no basic instructions, nothing.

He is also very impatient. When he got annoyed, he put his hands on me, which was completely uncalled for and unprofessional. On the day of my test, I spoke with another student who told me he would pinch her thighs when he disapproved—absolutely unacceptable. For the price, I expected much better. I regret not choosing Fresh Green Light Driving School instead.

Ghazal

They are very disorganized and have a very rude receptionists! Especially during the class.
Tom himself is a very discouraging driving educator. If you end up signing up for this school cuz there are no better driving schools in the area then just get someone else. In other cities people pay 40$ or so for each hour of education. Here you have to pay 85$ and I think that honestly they don't deserve it. If they charge so much money for one hour they should at the very least update their cars. It feels like I'm driving a wagon.

Jada

Tom was dangerously impatient and unkind. When asked for patience and clearer instructions, he screamed at my disabled child, saying people like that shouldn't be driving. Missing social cues doesn't make a bad driver, but a teacher who refuses to be flexible or give clear instructions will discourage vulnerable kids from pushing themselves to be independent and learn. The burden lies on the teacher to be professional and understanding, and to TEACH. I was deeply disturbed by the treatment & the way driving lessons were given, with no real structure or guidance. Trial by fire is a horrible way to teach!! Tom presents a serious danger to young drivers!

J.V

Took classes with Tom and he gets mad very easily at the smallest errors and constantly degrades me while i’m driving and it made me uncomfortable. I keep making mistakes out of being nervous of his anger and he continues to get even more mad, and it’s really scary for a new driver.

Linda was also the same way and gave me the worst attitude while I was driving and gets triggered very easily. I hope both of them can get help for the unprofessional behavior. I only took 3 classes here a few weeks back and then started classes in Norwalk and am much happier. Do not send your child here unless you want them holding back tears.

Naki P.

Tom was verbally abusive, even at one point making me pull over just to yell at me for asking if I should honk in a scenario. Completely ruined my driving experience for months afterwards as I expected a violent reaction at any mistake. If you want to take a test with a corrupt dmv official and leave your child as a worse driver and emotionally traumatized, Toms driving school is the place to be!

Blair W.

Absolutely horrible. Went to learn to drive and Tom is just flat out awful. He is so impatient which is not okay for a new driver. He is very irritable and easily set off by little mistakes and rather by trying to get the student to learn from it he screams at them. I should not be told I won’t pass my test by the instructor and that I’m a horrible driver because I go to fast into a turn. A new driver needs to LEARN from their mistakes rather being verbally abused. I can whole heartedly say I learned nothing with Tom and he genuinely traumatized me. Please do not send your kids here. He is very very rude. He makes me and a ton of other people I know incredibly uncomfortable. Touching a teenage girls thigh and caressing their arm is not appropriate and nor is the yelling and verbal abuse. Learning to drive is very stressful and very important for the driver and those on the road. DO NOT go to Tom’s if you want a good confident driver.

Michelle P.

So happy with the service and driving instruction received through Tom’s. We found lots of mixed reviews when considering all the options but chose to go with Tom’s due to the flexibility of the online class instruction. Tom and Linda were great driving instructors who were friendly, patient, knowledgeable and polite. The ease of making (and changing) appointments and signing up for the test was wonderful.

Madison T.

Toms Driving School was amazing in helping me prepare for my driving test. We bought the package of 4 lessons that included the driving test at toms and 8 hr online class. Linda and Tom are both so nice and will teach you everything you need to know for your exam!