PassMeFast expands at MediaCityUK as business soars

One of the UK’s largest providers for intensive driving tuition, PassMeFast has expanded within its MediaCityUK base following its most successful quarter to date, achieving £1 million in revenue for the month of June.

Despite a second national lockdown, demand for its driving courses have continued to surge and to cope with demand, PassMeFast has almost doubled its workforce since April to over 70, prompting its relocation to a larger office base in MediaCityUK’s recently expanded Arrive concept in White Tower.

The brainchild of entrepreneur Samir Ullah, PassMeFast’s success has been meteoric since its launch in April 2016, and is projected to turnover £22 million by the end of this year.

PassMeFast Founder and Managing Director, Samir Ullah said: “The initial few weeks of the first full lockdown were uncertain for us. However, it quickly became apparent there was a huge demand among NHS and social care key workers to pass their driving tests to enable them to get into work quickly and safely. The DVSA recognised this and lifted restrictions on driving tests for this critical group of people. PassMeFast was uniquely placed to help them to get their licence quickly, ensuring they could get to their life-saving work.

“In early July, the DVSA lifted restrictions further to allow the general public to take lessons once again. Since then, we’ve been busy securing tests for customers already in our system as well as handling thousands of new enquiries.”

A lot goes into the process of learning to drive — but PassMeFast keeps things straightforward for its customers. The office team does the hard work of fast-tracking tests, while students take lessons at their own pace with one of the company’s designated driving instructors. This has proved a winning formula, with thousands of learners getting their licence.

Despite the commercial challenges brought by the pandemic, Samir and his team have remained focused on their expansion plans and now cover 33 UK counties with a database of over 1,700 DVSA-approved driving instructors.

Samir added: “We’re aiming to cover the whole of England by mid-2021, and the coming months will see expansion into the South West and East Anglia, including Bristol, Somerset, Dorset and Suffolk. We’ll also be developing our app which will be a valuable support resource to our students.

“We’re continuing to expand and our MediaCityUK base will grow as our recruitment campaign continues. Strategically, this is where we need to be as it enables us to access the technical expertise but also provides us with the pick of the best recruits. We receive hundreds of applicants for each job, many of whom want to work in the heart of MediaCityUK.”  

Property Director, Chris Reay added: “PassMeFast is an incredible success story and is a great example of how a start-up can grow and evolve within MediaCityUK. This has been the sixth move for Passmefast within MediaCityUK and it’s been really fulfilling to support Samir with his growth plans. As we’ve expanded the Arrive creative workspace concept, it’s apt that a dynamic and growing business like PassMeFast has been one of the first occupiers to take the new, transformed space.”

MediaCityUK is a joint venture partnership between Peel L&P and Legal and General Capital.

For more information please contact: Jo Whittaker @ MediaCityUK on 0789 481 5568