What SafeWay Driving does

SafeWay Driving is a Texas-based driver education company founded in 1973 (originally as Spring Branch Driving School) that operates a proprietary SafeWay Driving System combining online classroom curriculum with structured in-car instruction across 17 franchisee-owned locations in the Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio metros. Its product portfolio spans teen driver education packages ranging from a State Minimum (7 hours driving, $599-$855) to Advanced Pro (37 hours driving with included DPS road test, $2,899-$3,099), adult courses (6-hour TDLR-approved online course at $39 plus 2-10 hour in-car bundles), Parent-Taught Driver Education curriculum, DPS-authorized third-party road testing at Park Cities and Schertz, driver assessments ($179-$269), and enterprise defensive driving and risk mitigation services.

The company's technology and operational assets include a web-based 24/7/365 scheduling platform, dual-brake training vehicles equipped with dash cams and GPS, 10 planned driving tracks covering 20 driving environments (designed with NASCAR driver Brad Coleman), and SafeWay University for instructor certification that exceeds Texas state minimums. Underlying IP centers on the "Commentary Driving" methodology originated by founder Gene Walker and refined over 50+ years. The company is PCI compliant and SSL-secured for online transactions.

SafeWay Driving generates revenue through multiple streams: per-student package tuition across teen and adult tiers, corporate training contracts with energy sector clients (Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, Total Energies, Occidental Petroleum, Weatherford), franchise fees ($58,400-$163,000 startup costs with no incremental franchise fee on car growth), and ancillary services (driver assessments, defensive driving courses, relocation services). Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer online enrollment via register.safewaydriving.com, franchisee-led community outreach, and direct corporate sales. The company is privately held by Brad Coleman following his 2022 repurchase from a prior investor group.

Name

SafeWay Driving

Legal name

SafeWay Driving

Website

https://safewaydriving.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

SafeWay Driving is a Texas-based driver education company founded in 1973, operating 17 franchisee-owned locations that deliver proprietary online classroom and in-car training to teen and adult students, plus corporate fleet clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Driver Education Services

NAICS

Automobile Driving Schools (611692)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation & Fleet Safety (DOT, Driver Safety) (EDABAEAM)

Keywords

• Driver education services
• Teen driver training
• Behind-the-wheel instruction
• Corporate fleet safety
• Driver ed franchise

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Teen Driver Education: Comprehensive driver education packages for teens (ages 14-17) including online classroom instruction, behind-the-wheel training, and DPS road test preparation. Packages range from State Minimum (7 hours) to Advanced Pro (37 hours). Primary revenue driver, representing the bulk of student enrollments across Texas locations.
2. Adult Driver Education: State-approved 6-hour online course for adults (18-24) plus optional private in-car training in 2-10 hour bundles. Adults 25+ can take the DPS test directly without course requirement. Additional revenue stream with lower ticket sizes but broader addressable market.
3. Parent-Taught Driver Education: Curriculum and materials sold to parents/legal guardians who opt to teach their teens to drive. Parents register through SafeWay, receive structured lesson materials, and complete the 44-hour program (24 classroom + behind-the-wheel practice).
4. Corporate / Fleet Driver Training: B2B services including driver assessments, defensive driving courses, driving safety courses (Basic, Plus, Pro), and relocation services for employees. Priced via custom quotes based on number of employees. Serves enterprise clients such as Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, Total Energies, Occidental Petroleum, and Weatherford.
5. Franchise Fees: Franchise opportunities priced by number of cars in a School Zone. Startup costs range from $58,400 to $163,000. Average gross revenue per car is approximately $89,741. Franchisees pay no additional franchise fee for car growth beyond the original School Zone size.
6. Driver Assessments: Professional assessments evaluating employee driving strengths and weaknesses. Offered as 'Assess Only' ($179) or 'Assess & Train' ($269) bundles, generating incremental revenue from adult and corporate segments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SafeWay Driving provides state-approved online driver education and behind-the-wheel training programs for Texas teens and adults, plus corporate fleet driver assessments, defensive driving courses, and risk mitigation services for enterprise clients. The offering is delivered through 17 franchisee-owned Texas locations, an integrated web-based scheduling and operating system, dual-brake training vehicles, and a proprietary curriculum called the SafeWay Driving System, with DPS-authorized road testing available at select sites. The company also sells franchise opportunities and a Parent-Taught Driver Education curriculum for at-home instruction.

Product overview

SafeWay Driving is a Texas-based driver education company operating since 1973, offering a multi-tiered portfolio of driver training programs. The core offering consists of Teen Training Programs (with packages ranging from State Minimum at 7 hours to SafeWay Advanced Pro at 37 hours of instruction) and Adult Training Programs (including 6-hour online courses and various in-car packages). Supporting products include Parent-Taught Driver Education, Transfer Packages for students switching schools, DPS-authorized Road Test Services, Driver Assessments, and Corporate Driver Training for enterprise clients. The company utilizes SafeWay University for instructor certification and the proprietary SafeWay Driving System for curriculum delivery, with online classroom components integrated with professional behind-the-wheel instruction across 16 Texas locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teen Training Programs Structured driver education programs for Texas teens ages 14-17, integrating a 24-hour TDLR-approved online classroom with behind-the-wheel instruction on planned driving tracks, DPS road test preparation, and package tiers from State Minimum (7 hours driving) to Advanced Pro (37 hours driving plus included DPS road test).
• Adult Training Programs Driver education for adults 18+ in Texas, including a 6-hour TDLR-approved online course for adults 18-24 ($39) and optional private in-car training packages in 2-10 hour bundles, with services supporting first-time licensing, license transfers, international license holders, and refresher training.
• Parent-Taught Driver Education (PTDE) TDLR-approved Parent-Taught Driver Education program providing the structured curriculum, online classroom (24 hours), and behind-the-wheel practice materials (44 hours) for Texas parents or legal guardians who choose to teach their teens to drive at home.
• Corporate Driver Training Enterprise driver safety solutions for corporate clients, including driver assessments, defensive driving courses (Basic, Plus, Pro), risk mitigation programs, and customized in-car training for employees. Serves energy-sector enterprise accounts (Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, Total Energies, Occidental Petroleum, Weatherford) with quote-based engagements.
• Defensive Driving Courses Driving safety courses offered at three levels (Basic, Plus, and Pro) including on-campus 2-hour formats for corporate clients seeking risk mitigation and defensive driving skill development.
• Driver Assessments Professional evaluation of an individual's driving strengths and weaknesses, available as Assess Only ($179) or Assess & Train ($269) for adults, returning drivers, and corporate clients. Includes an electronic assessment report.
• Private Driver Training One-on-one in-car driving instruction with a certified SafeWay instructor for experienced drivers or those preparing for the DPS road test, sold without the classroom component in 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10-hour packages.
• DPS Road Test Services DPS-authorized third-party road testing available at the SafeWay Driving Park Cities and Schertz locations, allowing students to take the official Texas driving exam on-site without waiting for a DPS office appointment.
• SafeWay Driving Franchise Opportunity Turnkey driver education franchise opportunity for owner-operators, granting a School Zone (market area) to operate a SafeWay Driving location using the proprietary SafeWay Driving System, SafeWay University training, and centralized operating support. Startup costs range from $58,400 to $163,000.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students are nearly half as likely to be in a crash compared to the Texas average (per Texas DPS data)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• ShellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShell is listed as one of the major corporate clients using SafeWay Driving's corporate driver training services. Services include driver assessments and defensive driving programs for Shell employees who drive as part of their work.
• Exxon MobilcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExxon Mobil is listed as a corporate client for SafeWay Driving's corporate training services. SafeWay provides driving safety training and assessments for Exxon Mobil employees.
• BPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBP is listed among the major companies that trust SafeWay Driving for employee driver training and risk mitigation services.
• Total EnergiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTotal Energies partners with SafeWay Driving for corporate driver safety training and assessments for employees.
• Occidental Petroleum (Oxy)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOccidental Petroleum utilizes SafeWay Driving's corporate training services for employee driver assessments and safety programs.
• WeatherfordcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWeatherford is listed as a major corporate client using SafeWay Driving's driver training and risk mitigation services.
• Texas Impaired Driving Task ForceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafeWay Driving is a member program participant of the Texas Impaired Driving Task Force, collaborating with state agencies and other organizations to address impaired driving in Texas communities.
• TDLR Driver Training and Traffic Safety Advisory CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafeWay Driving participates in the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's advisory committee for driver training and traffic safety, contributing to the development of state driver education standards and policies.
• American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafeWay Driving collaborates with ADTSEA on state-requested technical assessments of driver education programs, contributing research and expertise to improve driver training standards nationally. Contributed assessments for Montana and Vermont.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Coastline Academy: Online driver education and traffic school provider with state-approved courses. Direct competitor to SafeWay's adult and teen online classroom products.
• Smith System: Corporate fleet driver safety training company providing behind-the-wheel and classroom safety programs to enterprise customers. Directly comparable to SafeWay's corporate training segment serving energy and industrial fleets.
• All Star Driver Education: Texas-based private driver training school offering teen and adult in-car lessons with multiple Texas locations. Directly comparable to SafeWay on geography, customer base (Texas teens/adults), and core service mix (classroom + behind-the-wheel).
• Safe2Drive: Online defensive driving and traffic school provider approved across multiple states. Competes with SafeWay's defensive driving and adult course offerings on convenience and price.
• DriversEd.com: Long-standing online driver education and traffic school provider approved in numerous states. Direct substitute for SafeWay's online adult course and a competitor on the teen classroom portion of the stack.
• Aceable: Mobile-first, state-approved online driver education provider serving multiple U.S. states including Texas. Competes with SafeWay on the online classroom portion of the teen/adult driver-ed funnel and on app-based delivery.
• I Drive Safely: Online defensive driving and driver education provider. Overlaps with SafeWay's Adult Online and Defensive Driving Courses (Basic/Plus/Pro), serving a similar price-sensitive adult learner segment.

Regional players

• Drive Rite Academy: Texas-based driving school with multiple locations offering teen and adult driver education. Competes directly for in-car instruction share in the same Texas geographies SafeWay serves.
• NRG Driving School: Houston-area driving school offering teen and adult lessons. Local competitor for SafeWay's Houston metro teen/adult market.

Broad incumbents

• AAA Driver Education: National motor club that offers driver education, defensive driving, and AAA Traffic Safety programming across many U.S. regions. A broader incumbent overlapping with SafeWay on safety positioning and adult defensive driving, but not Texas-focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SafeWayDriving

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SafeWay Driving