Students partying on Campus Corner can expect more than a free cab ride if one OU student’s idea gets off the ground.

Ross Becker, geology senior, wants to promote the use of SafeRide by taking charge of a cab and turning it into “Cash Ride,” an OU-only version of the Discovery Channel series “Cash Cab.”

Cash Ride would allow students to win small cash prizes in exchange for answering trivia and school-related questions correctly. It would also provide content for TV4OU, where Becker would like to air the video segments that he would film as a Cash Ride driver and game show host.

But he said the main purpose of the program wouldn’t be to dole out cash or fill the airwaves.

“I want to raise awareness about SafeRide so students can make smarter choices when they drink,” Becker said.

He said his idea grew out of poor choices of his own. Last year, he was arrested for driving under the influence, an event that left him with thousands of dollars in fines, court costs, lawyer fees and the regret that he hadn’t made better decisions.

He hopes that a program like Cash Ride would encourage more students to take advantage of SafeRide’s free weekend cab rides.

“SafeRide is a really great program. I want people to know they can make a smarter choice by calling them,” Becker said.

But the Cash Ride concept will have to clear some administrative hurdles before Becker gets behind the wheel of a Campus Corner cab.

The proposal has to be cleared by the president and vice president of Student Affairs, as well as Yellow Cab, before it will be considered for implementation, said Brynn Daves, assistant to the vice president of Student Affairs.

But some are concerned aspects of Becker’s idea could undermine the purpose of SafeRide.

“One of the more important aspects of SafeRide is that students remain anonymous when choosing to use the service,” Daves said. “Any other factor that compromises a student’s decision to use SafeRide is unacceptable to the university.”

Becker said that in order to comply with SafeRide’s privacy guarantees, he would have every student participating in Cash Ride sign a video consent form the night of the ride. The following morning, the student would receive a follow-up call to remind them of the event and ask for final consent.

If Becker gets the permissions he needs to launch Cash Ride, he’s prepared with a plan for the game and its questions.

Cash Ride, like Cash Cab, will begin with relatively easy questions and progress to harder ones. Participants can earn prizes by answering every question correctly.

“I’ve thought about using cash. You start out with penny questions and at the end double or nothing with a really difficult question similar to Cash Cab,” said Becker. “I’ll have to use money out of my own pocket until I get sponsors.”

In an attempt to recruit sponsors, Becker intends to ask questions that advertise sponsors’ companies or program names, such as, “How much does a pint of Bud Light cost at O’Connell’s?”