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The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported yesterday that more Honolulu drivers are riding alone to work. Today’s Honolulu Advertiser explained how ridership levels on The Bus have rebounded after the 2003 bus drivers strike. The Star-Bulletin printed a chart with some interesting figures: on Oahu, the number of people driving along went from 61.4% to 67% between 2000 and 2005, while carpooling dropped 4 points. The Advertiser’s graph showed bus revenue from almost US$20M in 1993 to US$41.5M in 2006.

“Telecommuting one day a week, working at home, cuts down demand on roads significantly… It doesn’t cost anything and immediately saves money.”

Panos Prevedouros, an engineering professor at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, provided a puzzling quote that closed the Star-Bulletin’s article. Here’s my brief list of reasons why telecommuting isn’t free.

1. The employee may have to provide her own computer if the company hasn’t done so.
2. The company should provide secure remote access for employees. A VPN to the office network is essential.
3. The employee’s computer should be clean and free of viruses, malware, spyware, keystroke loggers and zombies. Think of the telecommuter’s computer as an extension of the company’s network. How does the company’s IT department profile off-site computers?
4. The telecommuting employee has to provide her own utilities and amenities, including furniture, electricity, Internet access, and air conditioning.
5. There’s the psychological costs of remote work. Some employees may prefer to work in an office environment. Working from home is one powerful way for an employer to exert more control over an employee.
6. Working offsite can be distracting. it’s tempting to turn on the TV or chat on the phone while working from home.
7. Schedules may become too flexible. Add “just one” errand or “only a few” chores into an offsite workday, and the telecommuting employee becomes less productive and attentive.

I’m assuming that Dr. Prevedouros is thinking of commuters who work in an office environment provided by their employer. Some of the items on this list would be different for commuter who owns their own business, and this article does a nice job of covering various tools that a business owner might use.