If the concept of carpooling always tempted you but safety concerns held you back, gear up for a new secure technology-based car-sharing service.

Delhi will soon have a global positioning system (GPS) based carpool system. Not only will registered members have to get antecedents verified, but also the GPS system and features like panic button will ensure safety of both passengers and driver. Trials of the technology based carpool are already on and the service is expected to start in December.

"Our backend system is almost ready and we have also placed the order for customised GPS screens," said Kamal Kumar, founder and chairman-cum-managing director, Mega Car Pool, the company promoting the concept. According to Kumar, each registered member, essentially a car-owner himself, will be given a smart card, which will also serve as his identification card.

The facility would be available in Delhi and its satellite towns of Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.

"We will provide customised carpooling through our automated search engine based on route, location, gender, time and specific preferences," he added.

The car of each registered member will be installed with a GPS screen, which will cost between Rs 4000-5000. There will be a monthly subscription of Rs 350 for each member.

The company has entered into a contract with telecom giant Airtel. The mobile phones of airtel subscribers will serve as their smart cards.

Carpooling will also help decongest the Capital's clogged roads. Delhi has the maximum number by far of private vehicles in the country. According to a recent conducted by RITES, a government enterprise that provides consultancy services in the transport sector, private cars in Delhi carry only 1.8 passengers on an average. The 3.2 vacant seats per car offer a minefield of carpooling opportunity.

Delhi government's transport department is also working on a similar carpool.