Yeh, I know about the big ‘driving schools’ thread but it was kind of Taipei-centric.
I can drive (in the sense that I can go forward and change gears and sometimes even turn corners) but I haven’t been at the wheel for at least two years. I hadn’t driven much before that either, so I’m what you would call rusty.
So can anyone give me a specific recommendation for a cheap ‘n’ cheerful driving school in Taichung (Da Keng, but anywhere would do)? Is it possible to go and do a 2-3 hour block in one go then dash straight to the test centre? I will feel much more comfortable going in immediately after a long driving session. I just want the pass-the-damn-test treatment and will relearn to drive elsewhere.
There’s a driving school of sorts right near DaKeng on Tai Yuan Rd.
Coming from Da Keng side towards town on Tai Yuan Rd when you get to the underpass/bridge that takes you under the railway line to Bei Tuan Rd, just keep to the right of the scooter lane and take the slip road to avoid going under, then turn left over the bridge you would normally go under and after the bridge again take the sliproad left to bring you back onto Tai Yuan Rd going the opposite way… before you’ve rejoined Tai Yuan proper, on the right hand side you’ll see a smallish road leading down to a testing center with practice tracks etc. near some rice fields… They specialise in “pass the test” crash courses ( ) and if I’m not mistaken it’s possible to do the test there as well, although only a few times a month I think…
If you went there in the morning and did their crash course (they have a full mock up of the actual test, the same as the DMV poper, with all the stupid S bends, pressure sensors, stop and go etc.) you could then just hightail it up to Dong Hai and do the test there in the afternoon… Otherwise you could check when they do the tests at the Tai Yuan Rd place and try to get the timing right…
yes, i went to that school to get my car licence… it’s a joke… i have my licence back home and at least the test back home is real… here it’s "when the marker (which you have centered in your mirror) reaches this line, turn 2.5 circles clockwise…
nobody spoke english there, but i can speak chinese, and the ‘instructor’ was good about me a) being a foreigner, and b) already being able to drive
You actually have MARKERS in the friggin car? How long did it take you as an existing driver including the exam?
[quote=“x08”]yes, I went to that school to get my car licence… it’s a joke… I have my licence back home and at least the test back home is real… here it’s "when the marker (which you have centered in your mirror) reaches this line, turn 2.5 circles clockwise…
nobody spoke English there, but I can speak Chinese, and the ‘instructor’ was good about me a) being a foreigner, and b) already being able to drive[/quote]
) and if I’m not mistaken it’s possible to do the test there as well, although only a few times a month I think…