Versantvoort Driving Courses taken over by driving school Wildenberg

As of January 1, 2024, a familiar driving school car will disappear from the streets of Geldrop and the surrounding area. The three cars of Versantvoort Driving Courses will be taken over by the Eindhoven-based Driving School Wildenberg on that date. Both students and driving instructors will make the move as well. It marks the end of an era that lasted 35 years.

From home

When Ad and Corrie Versantvoort started the driving school in 1988, it wasn’t with the intention of founding a family business. Yet, two of their three children eventually joined the company. Their son Alex obtained his instructor’s diploma at the age of 18. His older brother Jeroen initially chose a different career path but later became co-owner as well.

“My parents started the driving school from home. Theoretical lessons were held in our attic. That often meant eating early and tidying up the whole house before the students arrived,” Jeroen recalls. The Versantvoort children were teenagers at the time. Despite the hustle and bustle in the house, they mostly have fond memories of that period.

After Alex, his partner Nancy also joined the business. More instructors and cars were added. The course offerings expanded to include trailer training (category BE) and, for a short time, moped lessons. When the house became too small, the driving school moved to Beneden Beekloop and later to a prime location near the NS railway station in Geldrop.

Brothers

Father Ad remained involved with the driving school well into old age. At 70, he was still teaching theory lessons, although the day-to-day management had by then passed to his youngest son. When Ad retired in 2001, it was Alex who asked Jeroen to become co-owner. Ad Versantvoort passed away in 2017 at the age of 81.

“The division of tasks between Alex and me was always clear,” Jeroen explains. “Alex was in charge of the outside work, and I handled the inside. In addition to teaching himself, Alex also supervised our instructors, while I took care of administrative matters and marketing. Working together with my brother and sister-in-law has always been very pleasant. Of course, there were occasional points of discussion, but we always worked them out. Our bond is very close—still to this day.”

Grow

Their shared ambition was to continue growing. Jeroen recalls how they began offering truck driving courses (C and CE licenses) in a rather special way. “I gave my brother and our then-instructor Mark a truck driving lesson as a gift at a driving school in Eindhoven. The three of us went there and asked for the biggest truck with the most gears. It was an incredible experience, and afterward, Alex and Mark were absolutely thrilled—so much so that they decided to get their own instructor diplomas.”

By now, Versantvoort Driving Courses had become a well-known name in Geldrop and the surrounding towns. This was due in no small part to their presence at the Meise Mèrt in Geldrop, where the brothers made an ever-bigger impression each year. “We went all out—with a promotional trailer, a truck course, and even a go-kart track. Our parents thought it was over the top, but it turned out to be a huge success,” Jeroen recalls with a smile. “On a day like that, we sometimes sold as many as 25 lesson packages.”

At its peak, Versantvoort Driving Courses had eight training cars. “We never aimed to get any bigger,” says Jeroen. “We wanted to keep our personal touch: every student with a dedicated instructor and plenty of individual attention. Whenever we grew, it was mainly in terms of quality, not size.”

Recruiting new instructors was often a matter of intuition. “We looked for people who fit well within our team and had the right qualities—patience, and a friendly attitude toward students. Sometimes we hired aspiring instructors who still needed to complete their training. They went through the course and were coached by us. With great success.”

Accident

For more than twenty years, the driving school flourished—until tragedy struck hard in March 2022. During a driving lesson, Alex and his student were rear-ended by a truck with a trailer. Moments earlier, their car had joined a line of traffic that the truck driver failed to notice in time.

The impact was enormous, and Alex took the hardest blow. “Fortunately, the student came out of it relatively well,” Jeroen says with a heavy sigh. Sadly, the same could not be said for Alex. He was rushed to the Elisabeth Hospital in Tilburg with severe brain injuries and remained in a coma for months. The driving school community was in shock.

For the Versantvoort family, time seemed to stop—but the school had to go on. “We lived between hope and despair, preparing for the worst. Our team worked incredibly hard for months to take over Alex’s lessons.” According to Jeroen, this showed the true spirit of their team: “We really have a wonderful, close-knit group of people.”

After a long period of uncertainty, Alex’s condition unexpectedly began to improve. For a year, he worked tirelessly on his rehabilitation. “On the day Alex came home, the street was filled with fellow driving school owners,” Jeroen recalls. “It was a truly special show of support.” But despite his progress, Alex would never be able to return to his work at the driving school.

New way

Jeroen explored the options for continuing the business without Alex, but after consulting with his family, he ultimately decided to look for a potential buyer—a difficult decision.

“You start asking yourself: with whom will my instructors and students be in good hands? We chose Driving School Wildenberg. We know Willy and Sandra as colleagues, and our schools share many similarities. Wildenberg is also a family business. They aim for quality and a high pass rate. Moreover, like us, they truly care for their students. That gave us confidence.”

Jeroen personally got in touch with Willy, and after several conversations, time for reflection, and meetings with the team, the decision was made. As of January 1, 2024, Driving School Wildenberg will continue the Versantvoort family’s life’s work. Naturally, this comes with mixed emotions for Jeroen. “If it hadn’t been for the accident, Alex, Nancy, and I would probably have continued for many more years. Still, this feels right. Driving School Wildenberg is a wonderful company, and Willy is what I’d call a top-level entrepreneur. That’s also evident from the way he’s handled this process. Our people are truly in good hands with him and Sandra.”