17,000+ Driving Lessons Booked, 87,000+ Emails Saved: How Your Pass Mastered Scheduling

I started doing some research and had come across your site. And I knew as soon as I had set it up. I thought, ‘Oh, I like this. This is going to work.’” 

- Gary Russell

Gary Russell is the founder of Your Pass Driving School, based in Fife, Scotland. After qualifying as a driving instructor in 2010—fulfilling a dream sparked by his very first lesson at 17—Gary left his career as a Senior Analyst in Edinburgh’s banking industry to launch Your Pass in 2012.

Since then, he’s grown the school into a thriving, multi-instructor business focused on helping learners build confidence behind the wheel—and in life. From filming tutorials for YouTube to producing the Driving Drivel podcast, Gary is passionate about sharing knowledge and removing stress from the learning journey.

As the business expanded, so did the challenge of keeping bookings organized across instructors, locations, and student preferences. That’s where YouCanBookMe’s scheduling software for small businesses came in—bringing automation and freedom back into Gary’s day.

Why YouCanBookMe: Gary’s story

The challenge

Before YouCanBookMe, Gary’s scheduling system was mostly offline.

What we used to do is have a paper diary, and you would sit at the end of a session with someone and they would say, 'What have you got free next week for another booking?'”

But as Your Pass Driving School grew, Gary found himself overwhelmed by the daily demands of scheduling. Students would message late at night asking when their next lesson was, and to avoid confusion or missed sessions, Gary would be stuck replying manually to every text.

Even with help from his wife to manage the diary, it became clear that this wasn’t a sustainable system—especially as more instructors joined the team.

Without them getting their automated reminders, they forget, they get the time wrong. It gives us a lot more paperwork, really, a lot more back and forth texts.”

Managing individual calendars, matching students to instructors, and staying on top of lessons created hours of unnecessary admin. Gary knew that to grow the business and protect his time, he needed a better way for students to book.

The solution

I started doing some research and had come across your site. And I knew as soon as I had set it up. I thought, ‘Oh, I like this. This is going to work.’” 

- Gary Russell

What began as a single booking page quickly evolved into a scalable system. Gary now manages eight instructors, each with two booking pages—one for weekday availability and another for weekends. Instructors can now manage their own schedules, cutting out unnecessary admin.

And when new instructors join the team, the setup is simple:

I’ll just clone a page, change the link to their sort of initials for their customers, and then I just make sure that everything’s set up for them.”

Students now receive automatic confirmations and reminders, reducing missed appointments, and saving valuable time. Gary also uses the booking form as an opportunity to communicate their notice period, ensuring students know their exact window to cancel or reschedule a lesson. 

Driving lessons run smoother when your schedule does

YouCanBookMe takes care of the admin and reminders—so you and your instructors can focus on teaching, not texting.

The outcome

The impact was immediate. With YouCanBookMe handling the booking process, Gary saw a dramatic shift in how smoothly the business operated. The spreadsheet-based waiting list? Gone. 

We used to have a waiting list, which was a spreadsheet with all the details on it… and we don’t have that anymore because people don’t need to wait.”

It’s not just more efficient—it’s given back hours of time. Admin that once required constant attention from Gary and his wife is now handled automatically. And the results speak for themselves. 

Since 2016, Gary’s team has booked more than 17,000 sessions through YouCanBookMe—replacing over 87,000 manual booking emails and saving hours each week. The result? Happier instructors, happier students, and more time for Gary to focus on growing the business.

I wouldn’t be without it. I definitely wouldn’t.”

- Gary Russell

Deep dive into Gary’s booking page

Gary's booking page

Your Pass Driving School’s booking pages are designed with clarity and consistency in mind—giving students everything they need to book the right session, with the right instructor, in just a few clicks.

Branded visuals

Gary uses one of YouCanBookMe’s duotone booking page theme options to create a clean, professional look, complete with a logo for branded recognition. A banner image in the footer reinforces the school’s identity, while embedded links direct students to helpful resources and other booking pages—so learners can quickly find exactly what they need.

Configurable booking form

Each booking page clearly displays the lesson price and links to the full terms and conditions—giving students full visibility from the start. Before confirming a session, they’re prompted to review their personal details and agree to the 48-hour cancellation policy.

This setup not only provides a seamless experience for students—it also minimizes scheduling friction for the team. With clear expectations and pricing and policies communicated upfront, Gary and his instructors can spend less time on admin and more time on the road.

✨ Bonus ✨ Learn from the pros—Gary's top business advice

If Gary could go back, there’s one thing he might do differently: trust his business’s potential earlier.

I held off for a while about starting to bring in other instructors because I thought maybe I would be more comfortable just being me for a while, but I probably should have grown the company sooner.”

Building a business often comes with hesitation—especially when it means expanding a one-person operation into a full team. But for Gary, growth brought freedom. Bringing on more instructors, improving scheduling with YouCanBookMe, and giving his team control over their own calendars helped him scale his business without adding complexity.

The takeaway? If demand is there and your systems can support it, don’t wait. Have confidence in your business, and give it the room it needs to grow.

The right tools make growth simple

Gary’s journey shows what’s possible when the right systems are in place. With YouCanBookMe, Your Pass Driving School simplified its booking system, reduced admin, and gave instructors and students the flexibility they needed to thrive.

Now, with 17,000+ sessions booked and a scalable scheduling process that supports everyone on the team, Gary has more time to focus on what matters: helping learners gain confidence behind the wheel.

Want to create a smoother, simpler way to manage bookings—whether you’re a solopreneur or scaling a team?

👉 Start your free trial with YouCanBookMe and see how effortless scheduling can be.