Payment Methods

You can pay for your A-1 Driving School Ltd. Beginner Driver Education course, package, or other service in several ways:

  • Online by credit card (Visa or MasterCard)
  • In person at our office at 112 Main Street East, North Bay, by debit card, cheque, or cash
  • By e-transfer

If you pay by cheque, please make it out to A-1 Driving School Ltd. and clearly indicate the student’s name and the package or service the payment is for.

Deposit

A $300.00 deposit is required to confirm your registration in our Ministry-approved Beginner Driver Education (BDE) course.

Refund Policy

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, and a student may sometimes need to reschedule or cancel a BDE course. Our refund rules are as follows:

  • Once the theory portion has started, the deposit is non-refundable.
  • The remaining balance is due before the in-vehicle portion can begin.
  • If you have paid for the full course but the in-vehicle portion is incomplete, any refund will be pro-rated at the discretion of A-1 Driving School Ltd.
  • After the one-year commencement date, all monies paid become non-refundable, and any remaining service commitments from A-1 Driving School Ltd. are forfeited.
  • If the course is not started within one year of registering, all monies paid become non-refundable.

Refund Exception with a Transaction Fee

If you have paid for services and wish to receive a refund before the course or driving lessons begin, we will refund your fees on request. Refunds are issued within 3 to 5 business days, in the same form the payment was made, minus a $56.50 administrative fee (taxes included).

In addition, all payments made through a terminal are subject to a 3% transaction fee, which we apply to cover processing charges.

A-1 Driving School also reserves the right to postpone or cancel any BDE course. If we cancel a course, you are entitled to a full refund or to enrol in a future course.

In-Class Theory Training Refunds

If you miss a theory portion of the in-class training, you must make it up during a future course. We will give you a schedule of the next available classes for any class you missed. There is no charge for missed classes. However, to receive MTO certification for insurance discount purposes, you must successfully complete all classroom and in-car requirements within one year of commencement.

In-Car Lesson Refunds

Pick-up and drop-off can take place at your home, work, or school. This is an additional service that A-1 Driving School offers free of charge at its discretion, and we will confirm it with you in advance.

1. Student Cancellations

On-the-road lessons are scheduled directly between the student and the driving instructor. If you need to cancel, you must notify your in-car instructor — not the office — at least 24 hours in advance. Your instructor’s contact information will be provided to you.

If you do not give 24 hours’ notice, a late cancellation or no-show fee will apply, as outlined below:

  • Late cancellation fee: $40.00 per scheduled hour
  • No-show fee: $40.00 per scheduled hour
  • Further lessons will not be booked until all missed lessons are paid in full.

Note: All fees must be paid in full before A-1 Driving School can resume in-car lessons.

2. Instructor Cancellations

A-1 Driving School also reserves the right to cancel an in-vehicle lesson. For example, your instructor may cancel or reschedule your on-road session for any of the following reasons:

  • Illness or personal emergency
  • Weather or road conditions
  • Unexpected mechanical issues with the vehicle
  • Delays caused by a road test at the DriveTest Centre

If we need to cancel, your driving instructor will contact you directly, and you will not be charged a fee.

DriveTest Centre Cancellation and Service Fee

Road tests take place year-round. However, they can be affected by weather, power outages, emergencies, and traffic issues. A service disruption may cause you to miss or arrive late for your exam. In addition, the DriveTest Centre itself may cancel your road test while you are waiting with your in-car instructor.

In these situations, A-1 Driving School Ltd. reserves the right to refuse a refund for the unused service. If you choose to rebook the road test with your in-car instructor and use the vehicle for the rescheduled test, you will be required to pay a Re-Attempt Road Test Service Fee. We regret any financial inconvenience this may cause; however, A-1 Driving School Ltd. will not be held responsible for this loss of delivered service.

DriveTest Centre / MTO Driver Examination Booking Fee

All fees involved in obtaining your G1, G2, and G licence are not included in A-1 Driving School packages, and are at your own expense.

Packages Including Use of Car for Road Test

If you wish to take the road test using your in-vehicle instructor’s car, you can arrange this with your driving instructor at an additional cost. This is an optional service.

If you purchase a package that includes use of the instructor’s vehicle for the road test, you must use this service within one year. After one year, the package is expired, and A-1 Driving School Ltd. is not responsible for providing the service or issuing a refund.

Beginner Driver Education Course Certification

A-1 Driving School Ltd. is a Ministry-approved BDE program provider. Successful graduates are certified online with the Ministry of Transportation Driver Education System at no additional cost.

A-1 Driving School reserves the right not to certify a student who does not successfully complete the BDE program within the Ministry of Transportation’s requirements.

Certification depends on your full attendance and successful completion of all BDE course components. To be certified, you must complete the full program within one year. This includes:

  • 20 hours of in-class theory training (you must pass the in-class tests with a minimum average score of 75%)
  • 10 hours of home-link (minimum score of 75%, submitted to the office)
  • 10 hours of in-car training (minimum final score of 75%)

One-Year Expiry Date

If you do not successfully complete A-1 Driving School’s BDE program within one year of your start date, you will forfeit the BDE program. The office, your in-class instructors, and your driving instructors will remind you about the one-year expiry date, and we advise you to make the Beginner Driver Education course and in-vehicle driving lessons a priority. Because we have a limited number of in-car instructors, A-1 Driving School cannot guarantee that we can accommodate students who contact us with only a few days remaining before their expiry date.

We also advise you to notify your insurance company of course completion by providing them with a Driver’s Licence History (DLH), which serves as proof of successful course completion. A-1 Driving School Ltd. does not issue paper certificates.

If you want proof of course completion for possible insurance discounts, A-1 Driving School Ltd. must first certify you online with the Ministry of Transportation Driver Education System. After that, you will need to obtain a Driver’s Licence History (DLH) in person at a Driver and Vehicle Issuing Office or ServiceOntario. Because the DLH contains personal address information, only the licence holder can request it. For more information about the DLH, you can contact ServiceOntario at 1-800-387-3445.

Before you visit ServiceOntario, please contact the school to confirm your certification status. Please note that A-1 Driving School is not responsible for the $12 printing fee that ServiceOntario charges to issue the document.

A-1 Driving School Ltd. is a Ministry of Transportation-approved Beginner Driver Education Course Provider and is recognized by the insurance industry. However, the Driver’s Licence History does not guarantee a discount for insurance purposes. The final decision on any discount is up to the insurance company.

Contact Information

Questions about this Refund Policy should be sent to us at Contact Us.

Last updated: April 2026