One October morning before school, fifth grader Zach Chmura and his younger sister Zoey stood waiting for their car in their North Side apartment lobby. The air was beginning to chill, reminding them that Halloween was rapidly approaching. They stepped into their typical morning car, a big, black SUV, and greeted their driver Habeeb Mohammed — the man who drives them and multiple other Lab students to school every morning. He insists that the children call him by just his first name, Habeeb.
As the trio chatted about their days, Zach mentioned his favorite Halloween candy, Kit Kats. The next day, when he stepped into the black SUV once again, he was greeted with an enormous bag of his favorite treat.
“It’s really nice on his van. He always provided me with everything — food, water, music, Kit Kats. He’s always so nice to us,” Zach said.
In his car, Mr. Mohammed goes above and beyond for the Lab students he drives to and from school, forming a close-knit community by providing support, conversation and kindness.
Ninth grader Saanika Dutta rides with Zach on Mr. Mohammed’s van every morning. She said Mr. Mohammed has gotten to know her really well, especially for her love of Taylor Swift, whose music he always lets Saanika play.
“I love being in Habeeb’s van. He is one of the nicest and most welcoming people I know,” Saanika said. “His van always has a really warm atmosphere, which I love to be in since it cheers me up when I am grumpy in the mornings or when I have had a bad day.”
Mr. Mohammed has been a driver for GTS Limos for the past few months, and has loved getting to know Lab students.
“When I’m with the kids in the car I’m really happy,” Mr. Mohammed said. “I tell them they’re like my kids. I feel like I’m dropping my kids and picking them up from school every day.”
In the time he has spent with Lab students, he has developed a special relationship with them, due to his own situation with his family, who he has not been able to see in years.
Four years ago, Mr. Mohammed moved to Chicago and settled in Lakeview. His wife and three kids were not able to come with him and live in Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, India. In his hour with Lab students every day, Mr. Mohammed gets to bond with kids who remind him of his own.
“I’m trying to get my wife and kids here, but it’s very tough sometimes because, you know, the immigration process takes a long time,” Mr. Mohammed said. “That’s why I love driving the kids so much. They are like my children. We are united and like family now.”
Mr. Mohammed has been driving on this schedule for four months. When he’s not dropping off Lab students at school, he drives other clients around Chicago. He works every day of the week, which he said helps distract him and keep him happy.
“I spend 10 hours driving all day. I don’t have my family or my kids at home now so when I go home, I feel homesick,” Mr. Mohammed said. “When I’m in the car and I get to talk to all the kids or like when Saanika plays Taylor Swift, I feel less alone.”
Saanika’s favorite part of their drives with Mr. Mohammed is her daily conversation with him.
“He always asks me about my day, about what I did. He always listens, and I always look forward to our conversations. We also share our experiences living in India, which is really nice to do. It is fun to talk to someone else who knows what India is like to live in,” Saanika said. “He makes me feel very heard.”
Zach always knows exactly which questions Mr. Mohammed will ask and looks forward to talking to him every day.
“It was always a good conversation. He always asks about my day. Always. He asks what I ate for breakfast, how was my day — and I always ask him about his day,” Zach said. “I like that routine in our conversation.”
Among the many other Lab students he drives, Mr. Mohammed has gotten to know Zach well from the hours spent commuting to and from school in his car. From his love of Kit Kats to his favorite Imagine Dragons song, Mr. Mohammed always knows what to do to make Zach smile during the commute home — his favorite time of the day.
