Allara Drives

Who we are

Allara Drives is Canberra's only social enterprise driving school, operating on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country in the ACT. It was co-founded by Jess and Ruth, who also run the related social enterprise Allara Creative. The school is women-owned and women-led, and all driving lessons are delivered by female instructors.

The organisation exists to help people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds get their driver's licence, which is often a critical step toward finding work and building independence in Australia. Refugees and asylum seekers typically need more driving lessons than other learners because they may not have someone at home to help them log the required supervised practice hours, and it can be hard to find an instructor who speaks languages other than English. Allara Drives is designed to address both problems directly.

The business model is built to benefit the community in two ways. Everyone who books a standard lesson contributes toward subsidised lessons for refugees or asylum seekers who could not otherwise afford to learn to drive. All profits are directed toward this social purpose.

What we do

Allara Drives offers one-hour driving lessons on weekdays and weekends, delivered by ACT Accredited Driving Instructors in dual-controlled vehicles. Lessons are structured around the ACT Government Logbook and Competency-Based Training (CBT) system, which breaks the path to a provisional licence (P-plates) into 22 step-by-step competencies, removing the need for a traditional practical test.

Volunteer mentor program

Allara Drives runs a free volunteer mentor program for eligible participants who have completed at least 10 hours of professional lessons and finished the first 10 logbook competencies, but do not have regular access to a supervising driver to help them build up their hours. To join, participants must first attend a free two-hour English-for-Driving workshop. Volunteer mentors then work one-on-one with their mentee in weekly practice sessions, tracking hours in the learner's logbook. Volunteers must hold a valid driver's licence and a Working With Vulnerable People card. No prior mentoring experience is required, and full training and support are provided.

Referrals

Allara Drives accepts referrals from community organisations and support workers who work with people from refugee or humanitarian backgrounds.