The University of Iowa Undergraduate Student Government approved a new program Tuesday night called Rideshare, which aims to provide students with a cheaper option when using a night ride service.

Rideshare is partnering with the app Uber to give out $5 vouchers to 1,700 UI students. So far, the available vouchers are funded by the USG budget.

Starting on March 1, students will be able to use their one-time voucher to help pay for an Uber ride home from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., Thursday to Saturday.

Jack Carrell, a third-year student and director of finance for USG, started working on the Rideshare program last year with five of his colleagues.

“My hope is that it is a wild success, because our goal of it is that we’ve gotten a strong sense that the university is jumping at the opportunity to pursue it full-time,” Carrell said. “We’ll show that it’s a success and that the demand is there for it.”

If successful, Carrell hopes to make more vouchers available to students with the help of partnering programs. The program’s leaders explained that $5 would be just the right amount to benefit students paying for Uber rides.

In an email to The Daily Iowan, Thomas Knudsen, a USG senator who contributed to the Rideshare project, said students can receive their voucher by filling out a virtual form.

“Uber will then email them with a voucher eligible for $5 off a ride,” Knudsen said. “The initiative will be advertised to students’ university emails, in the residence halls, as well as advertised amongst the Greek councils.”

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Once a student has claimed a voucher, Knudsen encouraged students to use the voucher right away.

“We’d strongly advise students to utilize the voucher when they receive it, instead of holding onto it for another ride so they ensure they get use out of it,” Knudsen said.

According to the project managers, other Big Ten universities such as Ohio State University have found success in using the Rideshare program, offering it as the only night ride option on campus.

If successful, the program’s leaders hope to expand the number of vouchers available for students in the future.