Houstonians, take a moment to meet the faces of uberX in your city.
[h2 class=”” span=””]Mario Villareal[/h2]

“A blessing” — that’s how Mario, a single father of two, describes the arrival of Uber into his life.

A recent Houston transplant, Mario was getting discouraged in his search for a steady job in between stints as a substitute teacher. He stumbled upon Uber in February while searching online and immediately joined.

A huge basketball fan, Mario says one the highlights of being a driver so far was when he picked up members of the Detroit Pistons. Mario describes the ride, where he heard all about their lives and their thoughts on the current season, as a “truly awesome experience.”

[h2 class=”” span=””]Khan Muhammad[/h2]

As a retail manager at a gas station in the Houston area, Khan doesn’t have a typical nine-to-five job. That’s why the Uber platform is perfect for Khan’s schedule — he can connect with riders whenever it works for him.

So how would Khan describe Uber riders so far? “Joyful!” Plus, Khan has the peace of mind that comes with knowing each rider is verified through the Uber app.

[h2 class=”” span=””]Henok Dubale[/h2]

Henok used to struggle trying to balance work with pursuing a Masters in Human Resource Management. He still needed to provide for his family after leaving an office job to focus on his studies, and uberX was the solution.

Henok once had a rider who insisted she knew how to get to her destination, so he took her word for it. After several wrong turns and driving in circles, his rider started to laugh and admitted they were lost. But not to fear — he had his GPS, and they got there safely and with a story to tell.

Henok just finished his first term in graduate school at Houston Baptist University and is on course to graduate in 2015.