National Driving Academy

What National Driving Academy does

National Driving Academy (legal entity 2WARDS DRIVING Pty. Ltd., ABN 41 919 711 847) is a Canberra, ACT-based driving school founded in 1959 that specialises exclusively in the Australian Capital Territory's Competency Based Training & Assessment (CBT&A) logbook system. Rather than preparing learners for a single government driving test, the academy progresses students through 23 structured driving competencies, two formal review assessments, and a final drive, culminating in a Certificate of Competency that is presented to Access Canberra in exchange for a provisional licence. It serves learner drivers under 25 (100 supervised hours required), mature learners aged 25+ (50 hours), and international licence holders adapting to Australian left-hand driving, with coverage across 54+ Canberra suburbs.

The underlying operating platform is the third-party BookingTimes.com scheduling system, which provides 24/7 online self-serve booking, instructor assignment, automated email/SMS reminders, and a PCI-compliant payment gateway. Instruction is delivered using dual-control Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid vehicles by ACT-accredited instructors operating within a Registered Training Organisation framework and Child-Safe Organisation compliance standards. The lead instructor and co-founder, Babar Chohan, is Canberra's only Keys2Drive Platinum Instructor and a former Chief Instructor at NRMA Safer Driving Schools and former Vice President of the Australian Driver Trainers Association (ACT).

The business model is direct-to-consumer hourly lesson delivery with a Maximum Retail Price of A$109.50 per service hour, supplemented by discounted bundled lesson packages, digital gift cards, and Afterpay-driven installment payments. Acquisition channels combine SEO-optimised suburb landing pages, social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), a Google Business Profile, and word-of-mouth referrals. The company also operates a minor channel-partner network, aggregating bookings for independent driving schools (Rightway Driving School, Coastwide Driving School) and delivering the RYDA road-safety education program into local schools and colleges.

Name

National Driving Academy

Legal name

2WARDS DRIVING Pty. Ltd.

Website

https://nationaldriving.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

National Driving Academy is a Canberra, ACT-based driving school founded in 1959 that specialises in the territory's Competency Based Training & Assessment (CBT&A) logbook system, delivering progressive competency-based driver training to learner drivers, mature learners, and international licence holders across 54+ Canberra suburbs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Driving Lessons: Hourly driving lessons at maximum retail price of $109.50 per service hour. Individual lessons and discounted lesson packages are offered.
2. Driving Lesson Packages: Discounted bundled lesson packages with different final prices including payment processing fees. Packages offer better value than individual lessons.
3. Digital Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold as presents for driving lessons.
4. Afterpay Payment Option: Afterpay payment plan available for driving lessons, allowing customers to pay in installments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Driving Academy is a Canberra-based driving school specialising exclusively in the ACT's Competency Based Training & Assessment (CBT&A) logbook system. It delivers professional in-vehicle driving lessons across all Canberra and ACT suburbs, guiding learners through 23 structured driving competencies, two formal review assessments, and a final drive to obtain a Certificate of Competency and an ACT provisional licence without sitting a one-off government driving test. Services are sold individually, in discounted bundles, with Afterpay instalments, and as digital gift cards.

Product overview

National Driving Academy operates as a driving school specialising in ACT's Competency Based Training & Assessment (CBT&A) system. The core offering is the logbook method, where learners progress through 23 driving competencies instead of taking a single government test. This is supported by individual driving lessons (day, night, local, automatic) and supplemented by discounted package bundles, digital gift cards, Afterpay payment options, and mature learner programs. The company also provides an online booking platform powered by BookingTimes.com for scheduling lessons across all Canberra suburbs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Driving Academy: Primary brand operating as driving school in Canberra and ACT area, specializing in Competency Based Training & Assessment (CBT&A) logbook system.

Products and services

• CBT&A (Competency Based Training & Assessment) Logbook Training The ACT's logbook method for obtaining a driver's licence through progressive competency assessment across 23 structured driving skills, two formal review assessments, and a final drive, instead of a single government driving test. Delivered to ACT learner licence holders by accredited instructors.
• Driving Lessons Hourly professional in-vehicle driving lessons covering day, night, local and automatic transmission lessons at the Maximum Retail Price of $109.50 per hour, delivered across all Canberra and ACT suburbs in dual-control vehicles.
• Discounted Driving Lesson Packages Pre-purchased lesson bundles offering reduced pricing per hour compared to individual lesson rates, with a 3-month reduced expiry period while fuel-pricing conditions persist and variable final pricing based on payment method including processing fees.
• Digital Gift Card Electronic gift voucher sold as a present for National Driving Academy driving lessons, valid for 3 months from the purchase date.
• Afterpay Driving Lessons Afterpay payment plan allowing customers to purchase driving lessons and pay the cost in four instalments instead of paying in full up front.
• Mature Learners Program Specialised driving instruction tailored for ACT learners aged 25 and older, taking advantage of the reduced 50 supervised hour requirement and flexible pacing appropriate to adult learners.
• ACT Log Book Service Guided competency tracking and instructor sign-off service for ACT learner drivers completing all 23 structured driving competencies in the CBT&A logbook, leading to a Certificate of Competency accepted by Access Canberra.
• Online Booking System 24/7 self-serve online scheduling platform powered by BookingTimes.com that lets customers pick a Canberra suburb and instructor, book lessons, and receive booking reminders via email and SMS.

Quantifiable outcome

• Learners receive Certificate of Competency upon completing 23 driving competencies, 2 review assessments, and final drive
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Rightway Driving SchoolminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAssociated brand listed as partner for booking on the Gold Coast. National Driving Academy books lessons for this independent driving school under their network.
• Coastwide Driving SchoolminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAssociated brand for booking with Coastwide. National Driving Academy facilitates bookings for this independent driving school.
• RYDA (Road Safety Education Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBabar, the company's lead instructor, developed and presented the RYDA Program locally in 2011. The program delivers road safety awareness, risk management for young drivers, and real-life crash prevention strategies to schools and colleges.
• NRMA Safer Driving SchoolsminorOthersBabar, the company's co-founder, previously served as Chief Instructor and General Manager at NRMA Safer Driving Schools, overseeing recruitment, instructor training, and quality assurance across Canberra and Queanbeyan.
• Australian Driver Trainers Association (ACT)minorOthersBabar, the company's instructor, served as Vice President of the Australian Driver Trainers Association (ACT), demonstrating leadership in the driver training industry.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RACV: Victorian automobile club offering driver education programs as part of a larger member services portfolio. Overlaps with National Driving Academy on consumer driver training but competes from a much larger resource base.
• RACQ: Queensland auto club offering driver education as part of a much broader membership, insurance and roadside-assistance portfolio. Comparable in consumer driving instruction but operates at materially larger scale and with cross-subsidized pricing.
• RAA: South Australian automobile association providing driver training alongside broader automotive services. Comparable in learner-driver instruction offerings but bundled within a large membership organization with stronger marketing and balance sheet.

Direct peers

• LTrent Driving School: One of Australia's largest multi-state driving school chains with comparable consumer-facing lesson delivery, instructor network model and pricing-per-hour structure. A direct competitor for learner drivers and parents evaluating driving schools.
• Rightway Driving School: Independent driving school on the Gold Coast currently booked through National Driving Academy's aggregator network. Operates a similar consumer lesson model with dual-control vehicles and a comparable package/individual pricing structure.
• Coastwide Driving School: Independent driving school whose lessons are booked via National Driving Academy. Operates a similar consumer-facing driving instruction business with comparable instructor economics and customer base.
• NRMA Safer Driving Schools: NRMA's driver training division operates across NSW and ACT, directly competing with National Driving Academy in the same Canberra market. Babar Chohan, NDA's co-founder, was previously Chief Instructor and General Manager at NRMA Safer Driving Schools, making it the closest comparable in business model, geography and customer base.

Others

• Keys2Drive: Australian free learner-driver lesson program historically funded by government and the insurance industry; Babar is Canberra's only Keys2Drive Platinum Instructor. Functioning as an ecosystem/program layer that channels learners to accredited instructors like National Driving Academy rather than as a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nationaldriving
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NationalDrivingAcad
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationaldrivingacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-driving-academy

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 National Driving Academy