driving school

The sudden closure of A&A Driver Education has left teenagers’ driving plans on hold and some parents uncertain about what happens next.

Among those affected is Tammy Tingley, whose two teenage children were enrolled in the program and were at very different stages of completing their driver training when the school ceased operations.

“My son started at the beginning of the summer,” Tingley said. “He completed his in-class training and was almost finished with his in-car lessons. He only had two sessions left and was supposed to get his full licence next month.”

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Her daughter began classes in August and had recently started the in-vehicle portion of the program.

“She had only completed two of her driving lessons and was hoping to have her licence by around February,” Tingley said.

Tingley adds the closure is disappointing not only because of the delays, but because both teenagers had been working toward important milestones.

“My son was very excited to get his full licence next month,” she said. “He worked hard all summer to save money to buy himself a vehicle. He was so close to the finish line.”

While her daughter has a bit more time before reaching that stage, Tingley says the unexpected interruption has still been frustrating.

Disappointing and costly for everyone involved

Driver education programs can cost families thousands of dollars, and Tingley says she and many other parents are now left wondering whether they’ll recover any of the money they’ve already paid.

“Anyone who has teenagers knows driver’s education is very expensive,” she said. “It’s something you save for. With the rising cost of everything, it’s not easy to come up with that kind of money.”

Between both children, Tingley estimates her family has invested more than $2,000 in driver training through A&A, and she says she has been told that is potentially gone.

Families first learned of the closure through an email from the company.

“My daughter actually had a lesson at noon, and I received the email around 9 a.m. advising they were no longer operating,” she said.

The news immediately prompted calls to other schools and provincial officials as she tried to determine what options were available.

Tingley says she was referred to representatives with New Brunswick’s Department of Justice and Public Safety, where officials outlined the process now underway.

According to information provided to affected families, the department must first obtain and review student records from A&A before determining each student’s status within the program.

Once that review is complete, Tingley told us, parents will receive documentation allowing students to transfer to another approved driving school.

“There is quite a process,” Tingley said. “They have to review every student’s current status and then write letters for the families so they can transfer.”

Transition is expected to take time

“It’s going to be a bit of a waiting game,” she said.

Even after records are transferred, Tingley says there are no guarantees students will be able to continue exactly where they left off. Individual driving schools can decide how much previous training they will recognize and whether students must repeat portions of the program.

“We’re all kind of left in the lurch, not really knowing how we’re going to get this completed for our kids or how we’re going to afford it. We have to repay all of the fees that the new driving school wants to charge for whatever portion your child needs to complete,” Tingley said.

Tingley says Hub City Driving School has publicly offered assistance to affected students and their families, including discounted rates to help offset some of the added costs.

“Hub City Driving School has stepped up. They didn’t have to, by any means,” she said.