Click on the Book Now button to book your lesson right now. But before you do, please take the time to explore some of the commonly asked questions below.

We know things come up and you may need to cancel or reschedule your driving lesson. That is why we allow you to cancel or reschedule online. However, our booking system is setup in such a way to block repeat cancellation or rescheduling. When a student cancels near an appointment date, it not only wastes our time because another student could have used that time slot but it also affects our revenue. We try to be fair with our students and all we ask for in return is for you to respect our time and business. Please only book a lesson if you are committed to taking that lesson.

Patient and Caring Driving Instructors

We are experienced driving instructors who know how to customize each lesson to best suit you and your needs. We give you our undivided attention during each lesson and we will never waste your time. You will walk away after each lesson having learned something and feeling more confident or your money back, guaranteed.

How much do you care about your students?

We care a lot about our students because we want the roads we drive on to be filled with competent and safe drivers.

Your Success is Important to Everyone on the Road

We have to care because your life depends on it. For example, there are over a 100,000 collisions at intersections in BC alone every year. Over 50%  of those collisions result in injuries. With such an alarming statistic, you need to make sure you are very clear on the rules of the road so you are well prepared while driving. So yes we care because your life depends on it.

Driving Instructors

I hope you’re having an awesome day. My name is Shayan. I am the owner of Zula Driving School. As a licensed driving school instructor here in British Columbia, I enjoy teaching others how to drive. Nothing is as rewarding to me as helping other reach their goals. When I can help someone grow from not knowing anything about a vehicle, to being able to safely navigate rush-hour driving, I feel grateful to be part of that journey with student. My background is in Electrical Engineering, so I like to see how things work, and I am fascinated with the way individuals learn new concepts. Since the first year of university, I have taught math and physics to others. Many of those concepts are relevant to everyday driving situations so I incorporate them into the lessons. I also understand that each person is different and therefore learns differently. 

Here are a few things about me that I bet you didn’t know:

• I can help you in English or Farsi.
• I am the owner and operator of Zula Driving School.
• I am a licensed GLP-Practical Driving Instructor.
• In 2016, I was trained to become a driving instructor by Drivewise. I had to take tests set out by ICBC under the BC Motor Vehicle Act in order to ensure that I meet and exceed the teaching standards.
• I love driving. I got my driver’s licence as soon as I could. I’ve been driving for 19 years.
• My favourite car manufacturer is Tesla.
• If I am not working or teaching then I’m playing tennis, or out on a hike.

If you’re ready to become a safe and confident driver then I can help you along the way. I hope to see you soon!

I’ve been teaching since 2016 and have personally conducted over a 1000 lessons.

Have a pressing question? We love to hear from you!

Maybe you have a question or just want to see what we sound like. It can be about your upcoming lesson, a driving situation you encountered, or any other question. Or maybe you’re one of us previous students and just want to catch up. Whatever the reason may be, we would like to hear from you.

Be sure to our frequently asked questions listed here. If we still haven’t answered your question, feel free to text or email us.

Text

1-778-715-9490

Email

[email protected]

We charge $120 per lesson. We are very proud of our driving lesson pricing model. That is why we encourage you to shop around in order to see that we really do offer a great value on one-on-one driving lessons.

All lessons must be paid for online at the time of booking using a credit card.

Whether you take one lesson or a dozen, we offer the same great rate for all of our lessons.

Our lessons are specially designed to deliver the most amount of knowledge to student in the optimal amount of time. Our 90 minute in-car allow us to cover just the right amount of theory and practice to make the lesson meaningful for our students.

It all depends on your current skill level.

4 Lessons
You feel like you’re almost ready for the Road Test. Students that are getting lots of family or co-ed practice but need to fine-tune their skills will benefit. We will cover many of the skills mentioned below.

6 Lessons
You’re working on solidifying your skills. This is a good idea for those needing a few more lessons to solidify their skills. We will cover all the skills mentioned below. Final lesson is a Mock Road Test.

9 Lessons
You’ve never driven before or just starting out. This is a great choice for those wanting to learn everything correctly right from the beginning.

Need a single lesson? No problem. Whether you want to try us out or want to work on a specific skill or simply want to know if you’re ready for your road test, we can help.

We don’t recommend it. When you book a 90-minute lesson, about 10-15 minutes of that time is discussions in the vehicle. So the actual driving time is about 75 minutes. Therefore, for the lesson to be any shorter, we will not be able to cover all the important topics we wish to cover in the lesson. So in the end, you would end up taking more lessons to cover the same material, which is not really beneficial to you.

Our pick up and drop off area is anywhere between UVic, Hillside Mall, Downtown, and Royal Oak Exchange. If you are outside of this area, please arrange to meet us somewhere within this area.

I work 7 days a week from around 7AM to 5PM. Please take a look at my booking calendar for my most up to date availability

We offer students an assessment of their driving ability so that they know how they can better prepare for the road test.

I teach in a white, unmarked, 2018 Hyundai Elantra.

Reliable Vehicles
All of our vehicles are inspected regularly by professional mechanics to ensure that all components are working properly.

Automatic Transmission
Our vehicles feature automatic transmission to make it easier for new driver to pick up the craft of driving without having to worry about changing gears.

By law, I cannot teach you in your vehicle if you have your learners licence (L). I can teach someone who has their  novice licence (N) in their own vehicle but only if it is in good working condition.

We only offer our vehicles to students that have enrolled in at least one of our lessons. If we have never had the opportunity to assess the way that you drive, we do not feel comfortable letting you use our vehicle. We believe that if an individual is not well-prepared for the road test and arrives for a road test in our vehicle, it reflects poorly on us and thus we wish to mitigate that.

​If you want to use our vehicle for your road test, simply book a lesson for one hour prior to your road test appointment time. For example, if you’re road is at 3:00PM, book us for 2:00PM so we have 45-minutes to warm up before your test. Please note: In order to use our vehicle for your road test, you need to have had at least one lesson with us prior to the date of your road test.

We don’t book road tests for our students directly. However, you can book your road test yourself by clicking here. We don’t get special treatment as a driving school to book the road test for you. We see the same availability. Be wary of any driving school suggesting that they can get you in sooner.

Shayan is amazing! He was always on time for every lesson and he explained all the strategies and rules for driving clearly. He drew clear diagram on the Student Manual with the steps for parking and going through intersections under different situations every lesson. His patience and kindness inspired me and made me look forward to his lessons every time. Driving was fun and exciting with him all the time!

SHERRY W.

Thank You Zula! Well actually Thank you Shayan! Shayan is was a superb instructor. Very patient, very calm and extremely knowledgeable. Competive pricing and truely cares about his students ability to pass their test. 11/10 would reccommend. Listens to what you need to work on and focuses the lesson on those needs instead of a cookie cutter type lesson you might find at a different school. Can’t thank you enough!

ANASTASIA J.

I booked 3 classes with Zula and passed my road test at the first try! Shayan is calm and easily explain all the concepts clearly. Very knowledgeable and professional and super reliable! I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a driving instructor!

ALICE Z.

What We Expect to Achieve by the End of Each Driving Lesson

We aim to make sure you learn more after each lesson to make wise driving decisions. Remember, the point of road test is to make sure you can operate a vehicle in a safe manner so that you, your passengers, and other people share the road with you are all safe. In order to be safe, you need to attain certain skills and be knowledgeable on the rules of the road. The skills range from proper space and time management on the road. We also provide learning opportunities for drivers to negotiate difficult driving situations.

You will learn the following skills in our lessons.

As you can see, it takes a lot to become a safe driver. We try to incorporate as many of these skills into each one our lessons as possible.

Short answer: It depends. Learn more about the amount of time it takes to become a safe driver.

The amount of time it takes for someone to learn to drive varies greatly. Some can pick up the skill in as few as a handful of lessons while others take considerably longer to feel comfortable behind the wheel. However, it’s important to realize driving is a skill that needs many hours behind the wheel before certain good habits become ingrained. Just because you pass a road test, does not mean you are expert driver. It simply means that you met the bare-minimum standard of safety to be on the road. This is exactly the reason why when you go to renew your car insurance, the auto brokers asks, “does everyone within the household, driving this vehicle, have at least ten years of driving experience?” That question determines whether a discount is applied or not. But more importantly it shows that it takes many years of on-road experience before you have been familiarized with different types of driving situations. 

It is beneficial to you to start learning to drive during less-busy times of the day. Try to avoid booking into peak driving hours 8AM-9AM, and 4PM – 6:30PM

Contact some of the other driving schools and see if they can accommodate the date and times you are looking for.

Work with Us

Looking to join our team? We don’t blame you. We’re just that awesome!

Kidding aside, we are looking for enthusiastic and caring driving instructors to join our team in the near future!

If you would like us to consider your application, please send us your resume to [email protected].

Let us know why you think you might be a good fit and anything else you think we should know.

Interested in learning how to become a licensed driving instructor?

Visit ICBC’s Website for More Information

Interested in OPENING UP your own driving school?

Take a look: at our course that will guide you every step of the way.

Coming Soon!

Are you a student looking to book lesson and ended up here by accident?

Click on the button below to be taken to our booking page.​

I currently don’t teach manual transmission.

I am not licensed to teach class 4. You can contact Drive Wise.

Yes absolutely! Approximately half of our students are licenced but need one or more refresher lessons to help them get back onto the road. Schedule a single 90 minute lesson so we can do an assessment drive and see what areas you need help with. After the lesson, we will discuss what happened during the lesson and you will be provided with a progress report. We will make our recommendations as to whether or not you need more lessons. Once you’re back home, you can decide whether you would like to book more lessons or not. We will never pressure you into more lessons. We give our honest opinion and leave the decision making up to you.

Our vehicles are all equipped with dual brakes to help keep students safe in the event of an on-road error. We rarely use our brakes as we have a lot of confidence in our student’s ability to drive. We allow them to make mistakes wherever it is deemed safe in order to learn first hand.

No. You need to have a supervisor, 25 years or older, with a valid class 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1, licence or a professional driving school instructor. Only one other person can be in the vehicle. To learn more please visit ICBC’s website.

The Learner Driver’s licence is valid for 2 years. If you do not go for your Novice licence and pass during that time period, you will be required to the knowledge test again at ICBC.

How do distracted drivers change the game for you as a driver?

With distracted driving levels at an all-time high, you are tasked with not only the safe operation of your vehicle, but also being full aware of others that may not be dedicating their full attention to their driving.

Here are some strategies to help you stay safe even with the presence of distracted drivers on the road. Tip number one is to look ahead of the vehicle in front of you. You want to know what the traffic up ahead is doing and not be focused just the brake lights of the vehicle in front of you. The reason is if the driver in front of you is distracted with say texting, they may not realize a hazard up ahead or respond late. So you want to keep a good following distance from the car in front of you and start slowing down if you see cars further up ahead braking.

Another tip is to keep clear of other vehicle blind spots. So in another video we talked about where the blind spots of a vehicle are and how there can be a vehicle traveling beside your vehicle and you would not be able to see them just by looking into your side mirrors. For this reason, when approaching vehicles traveling in the next lane over, you’ll want to avoid unnecessarily staying in their blind spot for too long.

Another tip is to scan before going through an intersection. Distracted drivers can possibly fail to recognize the change of light and can run a red light or a stop sign. So it is very important to scan left, centre, and right before going through any intersection even if you do have a green light.

The same concept of scanning applies to making turns as well. A driver of an oncoming cars may not realize that you’re in the middle of the intersection waiting to make a left turn. If light goes from yellow to red and they are still coming through, it is your responsibility to not cut in front of a vehicle that’s running a red light. Sometimes it’s not other drivers that are distracted but rather pedestrians crossing a crosswalk. They can walk across when there is a do not walk sign present, so again it is your responsibility to scan and spot the distracted road users.

Now let’s say you’re waiting at an intersection for a red light. Be on the lookout for vehicles approaching from behind. Distracted drivers can sometimes fail to see the light ahead and may not have enough time to react. So when you see a vehicle approaching from behind in your rear view mirror, gauge their speed. Are they slowing down or not? Check your side mirror and blind spots to see if you have room in the lane beside you if you need to get out of the way of a collision. This why you want to have a good stopping distance when coming up to a vehicle stopped at a light, in case you need to give up some of your space cushion for the vehicle approaching or to change your lane in case of an emergency.

When traveling down a road with parked cars, check the wheels of the vehicles to see if anyone is showing signs of pulling away. Have your hand near the horn in case you need to warn drivers. Similarly in a parking lot, check for back up lights to see if anyone is about to pull out of their stall.

So you can see, hazards can come from every direction. Distracted drivers can make maneuvers without checking to see if it’s safe first so you need to be more aware of drivers and always observing your surroundings to keep you and your passengers safe. It’s this type of defensive driving that will keep you one step ahead of distracted drivers.

I hope you found this video useful. If you did, feel free to comment, like or subscribe to videos on YouTube. In addition, we offer an online video training course on our website at www.zula.ca. In that course we show you actual footage of distracted drivers on the road and how we deal with them. Be sure to check it out. Also, it’s one thing for me to stand here and talk to you about distracted driving, it’s another for you to get out there with your driving instructor or your co-ed driver and encounter driving scenarios where other drivers are not fully paying attention. Thank you and I hope to see you in another video soon!

A novice licence allows you to drive anywhere but you have to follow the restrictions set out by ICBC, such as: zero tolerance for alcohol in blood while operating a vehicle. You can have one non-family member passenger and as many family passengers as your vehicle safely seats. Your N sign must be clearly displayed on the back of your vehicle. To learn more visit ICBC’s website.

My English is not good – I am afraid to book a lesson!

Luckily with technological advances, we know now have smartphones that have real-time translation applications on them. If we notice that we are having communication issues, we can always use these devices (while parked!) In addition, we can use whiteboards, iPad and other learning tools to help achieve our desired outcome. So don’t be afraid – book today!

I am teaching my teenager how to drive – are there any benefits to having them take lessons with you?

Yes. Your willingness to be part of your child’s learning is very beneficial. But there are some distinct advantages to having them take lessons with a professional driving school. This could be in addition to the practice driving time you can provide them. There are two distinct outcomes of driving lessons. The first is much more important to the teenager and the second is much more important to the parents. They are: 

1. Developing the skills to pass your driving test.
2. Developing the skills and habits to be a safe driver for life.

Taking professional driving lessons can help to achieve both of these goals. At Zula Driving School, we suggest a balanced approach between professional driving lessons and driving practice with parents. Read on to find out more about why this approach will help your teenager to pass the license test, and also keep them safer on the roads. 

The Professional Factor

Having professional instructors makes a huge difference to your child’s developing ability to drive. Even if you do most of the practice yourself and only hire professionals for the first lesson and for one or two check-up lessons leading up to the driving test.

At Zula driving school, all of our instructors are professionally trained to teach teenagers to drive safely. This training includes up to date knowledge of the road code and regular training on how to pass this knowledge on calmly and effectively.

For some reason, teenagers often develop a “my parents know nothing” mentality. And they often feel like they can learn better from a stranger with some authority on the subject than they can from their parents. We often find that teenagers are more willing to take advice or criticism from our instructors than they are from their parents. Think back. You were probably the same!

Teaching your child to drive can be a very stressful activity. And it’s easy to snap when you feel that their safety is at risk. It’s almost impossible to keep the emotion out of it and this can cause an unesessary distraction for you and your child. We are trained to remain calm and not to yell at students whereas parents often lose their cool because you might feel powerless in the passenger seat.  

It’s Time to Ask Yourself Some Hard Questions:

Parents often say to us, “but I’m a good driver, I don’t need an instructor to teach my child how to drive.” We all believe that we are good drivers. But you need to remember that you are an experienced driver and your child is not. Many of the things you do to keep yourself safe on the road you do automatically, without even thinking about them. You can quickly assess risks and avoid them without even thinking about your road code. But your teenager has not yet developed this skill.

A driving instructor is trained to articulate these behaviors to your child in ways that make them easy to understand. Before you get out on the road with your teenager, you may need to ask yourself some hard questions about your driving habits. For example, you may have certain habits that are not the best and you may be passing on outdated or misinformation. For instance:

• Do you stop too close to vehicles in front of your while at a red light?
• Do you no longer make full stops at a red light before making a right turn?
• Do you believe that shoulder checks don’t apply to you because you check your mirrors frequently?
• Do you think it’s okay to go over the speed limit about 5-10km/hr?

All these different excuses and justifications collectively can make an unsafe driver on the road. Especially if that driver is inexperienced. Let your child start by learning what it looks like to be a safe driver on the road. It’s the best way to pass the driving test. And perhaps they will make the conscious decision to continue on that path once they have passed their road test.

Summary – The Benefits of Hiring Professional Driving Instructors:

Here at Zula Driving School, we suggest a balanced approach between professional lessons and driving practice with parents. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

• Students often learn better from people with authority. We all know that teenagers often have that “my parents know nothing” mentality. A professional driving instructor can help to overcome this.
• Professional instructors have up to date knowledge of the road code and training in how to convey it effectively to their students.
• You may have developed some bad driving habits over the years and could accidentally model these to your child.
• Professional instructors are trained to remain calm and keep your child safe while they learn to drive.

And, finally, teaching teenagers to drive can be really stressful! Why wouldn’t you leave it up to someone else?

Do you have a question about our driving school approach?

If you have any questions about our approach to driving lessons, or you’d like to book in for a lesson, we’d love to hear from you! 

Student Complaint: “It’s Not Fair! The Learner’s Stage used to be shorter.”

ICBC increased the amount of time a new driver must have their L for before going for their road test. The reasoning? It’s simple: it gives you more time to practice and familiarize yourself with the different types of driving conditions. We have all four seasons here. Which means, you will need to feel comfortable when driving in the dark, in the rain, in snow, and in fog. In each of these conditions, your visibility is affected as well as how your vehicle responds. It’s a good idea to spread out your learning over the year to experience these different conditions.

Refresh Your Driving Knowledge & Skills

Do you already have your driver’s licence but feel like you could refresh your driving knowledge?

Have you had a few close calls while driving?

Have you been honked at in a particular situation and now you’re not sure whether you were doing something wrong?

Are trying to pick up driving tips from other road users?

Do you feel intimidated driving in rush hour traffic?

Do you avoid driving in downtown at all costs?

If so, Zula Driving School can help. Register for a 90 minute lesson with us and we can assess your driving skills and habits together. We will give you an assessment report on the things you are doing correctly, and things that may need tweaking. If we believe you can benefit from additional lessons, we will make our recommendations at the end of the lesson for your consideration. Many of our students complete the assessment drive feeling more confident with tips and recommendation on how they can improve their driving immediately. The assessment drive includes the use of our vehicle. Our automatic vehicles are well-maintained ready for use.

Preparing for the ICBC Knowledge Test

What to expect and how to prepare for your ICBC L Test.

If you are just starting out, the first thing you need to do is learn the rules of the road.

The best way to do this is to head on over to your local driver licensing office and request your very own Learn to Drive Smart Book.

Too much trouble?

No problem. You can also find the online and PDF versions here.

Would you rather learn on your iPhone? Here’s the ICBC licensing mobile practice knowledge test app.

You’ve read the book cover-to-cover and are pretty sure you’re going to pass. Try taking the ICBC practice test here.

Aced it?

Try this one as well from the Richmond Public Library.

Aced that one too? Wow, you must really be ready for the real test!

Grab your accepted pieces of ID and head on over to your driver licensing office.

But wait! Are you under 19? If so, you need to get written consent from your legal guardian.

Or just have them show up with you to the licensing office.

Last but not least, don’t forget to take money for the knowledge test and the licensing fee. How much exactly? It’s listed here under the Knowledge Tests & Learner’s Licenses.

For the most up-to-date information on all this, head on over to the ICBC website.

When taking the test, read the questions carefully. You can also skip a question if you need to.

Congratulations! Something tells me you have passed with flying colors.

Now that you have your learner’s licence, you can practice driving. If it’s a possibility, try to schedule some driving time with a family member, relative, or a friend.

Remember though, they must: – have their class 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 licence.- be over the age of 25.

In addition, it is highly recommended that you supplement your practice with one-on-one driving lessons from a professional driving school. The benefit of this is that they can fill in many of the knowledge gaps that may otherwise not be addressed by your co-ed driver at home.

Want to learn properly? Consider taking lessons from us!