Change Driver’s

Driver's Training for New Americans

Change Drivers is a nonprofit based in St. Paul with the goal of empowering New Americans by addressing the transportation barrier. Our mission is to assist immigrants in achieving independence and stability, enabling them to become fully self-supporting.

When opportunities extend beyond metro transit lines, individuals without a driver's license face significant limitations. Acquiring a driver’s license is one of the fastest tools one can attain, with immediate impact increasing opportunities.

Ali’s after passing his driver’s test in November 2023

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime.”            —Maimonides

“Give a person a bus pass and they can only go so far; teach a person to drive and they can go anywhere."      —Change Drivers

What are Our Solutions to Overcoming This Barrier? 

Change Drivers offers comprehensive driver’s education, simulated and on the road driving to practice new skills.  Our seasoned driving instructors strive to train safety and awareness above all other skills and we extend love & compassion all through each students path to gaining their independence.

Your Donation Gift Supports: 

• Learners Permit Preparation Course
  • Culturally conscious instructors with significant prior teaching experience
    • English language assistance available
    • Self-study workbooks, online videos and practice testing available
• Virtual Reality (VR) Simulator
  • Provides risk free, low cost training with multiple scenarios in true-to-life simulator
    • Drivers who develop skills through simulation have a 70% greater retention rate
• Behind-The-Wheel drivers training
  • Culturally conscious driving instructors help create safe driving habits, focused practice and skills test preparation.
    • Standard vehicle operation and Red Cone parking navigation drills
    •  Training car available for student to use on test day

Obtaining a license is a crucial step to escape poverty and reduce reliance on state and community aid.

What barriers are New Americans asking for help to solve?

Affordable access to education & training - "Time in the seat" is a must to gain experience and create familiarity in stressful driving situations.  Unfortunately, the cost of lessons is more than most can afford. Many are left with infrequent practice making it hard to retain skills between lessons.  

Language challenges - For English Language Learners, trying to understand confusing sections of the driver's manual can be a real problem.  Behind the wheel driving can be slightly less of a language issue but still a challenge to overcome.

Cultural adaptability to U.S. driving standards - Many driving rules are different in MN than in their home country. We teach the WHAT to do and WHY are you doing it. Understanding “the why” helps retention of complex concepts to solidify safe driving habits.  Our experienced instructor team works hard to instill safe habits into our immigrant students.

Who exactly benefits from driver’s training?

Immigrant Population = 500,000 Legal immigrants & refugees in Twin Cities metro

• 140,000 immigrants who currently possess their green card... With another 90,000 eligible
• 100,000 or more immigrants estimated to be undocumented, many driving without a license
• New Americans make up 1/6th of the Twin Cities metro total 2,926,757 population

Employers - The Twin Cities economy employs 2,171,654 people (*2022 estimates)

• 97,579 Businesses located in the metropolis area
  • A majority of companies are located in suburban cities outside of direct metro transit lines
• 38% of MN immigrants work in manufacturing & raw material processing
  • 2 out of 3 Twin Cities based manufacturing companies are located in suburban cities with limited to no metro transit access

Student Testimonials

Apath- age 30 from Jordan

How will a Driver’s License will improve your life?  I need it for my job, for my freedom, for my family.  This is one of my greatest goals in life.

Why is a Driver’s License important to you? I have a family and I really need to be able to get to work and drive my kids around town. I have been trying to get my license for 2 years and I need to pass the driving test so I can legally drive. 

Abduraham- age 35 from Ethiopia

Why is a Driver’s License important to you? I work now and i live with roommate, my work is 10 miles away and there is no public transportation where i live so i take uber everyday and this uber ride is too expensive . all my pay check goes to uber and I need help with driving lesson. If I can get my driver license, i will have options to work overtime on weekends and i am able to be financial more stable.

Email to Change Drivers from a recent graduate

Hello, I am Ali-Ghilha. Today I passed the road test and succeeded. I would like to thank you for providing assistance to me. Coach Bath is the one who trained me. I learned a lot of things from her and I passed the test. Thank you very much to all of you. I am happy and new