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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.

Hawai’i: It hasn’t been a great week for students at UH-Manoa. Parking is a nightmare as usual. The university’s implementation of its Banner registration software had some gaps, including a feature that would have allowed UH administrators to see how manys tudents were on the wait-list for each class. As a result of this and an unexpected surge in enrollment, several hundred UH students have been unable to enrolll for the classes they need. Thirty new classes were added on Monday, but some classes have many more students than the recommended maximum. It reminds me of my college days, when students were lurking outside offices and classrooms, hoping that another student had dropped the course. This will cause problems with the teachers union.

At least the football season opens 11 days, although the Warriors may have trouble beating Florida Atlantic.

Related posts and pages on billso.com

• University of Hawaii
• 2 August 2004: Frear Hall sits dormant on UH-Manoa campus
• 16 July 2004: UH-Manoa has no short-term fix for dorm crunch
• 15 July 2004: Oahu students get low priority for UH-Manoa housing

Hawai’i: The Advertiser describes Mary Dillingham Frear Hall, a 140-person dorm that has been dormant since 1996. The dorm was closed because it needed repairs and UHM had plenty of room in other facilities. UHM officials say it will take at least two years to renovate this dorm. Meanwhile, 1100 UHM students remain on the dormitory waiting list for the fall term.

Related posts on billso.com

• 16 July 2004: UH-Manoa has no short-term fix for dorm crunch
• 15 July 2004: Oahu students get low priority for UH-Manoa housing

Hawaii: UH plans new dorms but no quick fix for shortage - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii’s Newspaper: Uhm, that’s a lot of help. “Galvanized by the immediate dorm-space crisis at the University of Hawai’i-Manoa, a UH Board of Regents committee gave approval yesterday to fast-tracking a public/private partnership that would produce new or renovated dorms. While that wouldn’t open up new beds until at least the fall of 2006, it would position UH to handle the influx of students expected to extend for years beyond that. No new dorms have been built at Manoa since Hale Wainani went up in 1978… Regent Jim Haynes said the university hasn’t done a good job in providing student housing. “We’ve failed,” he said. “We shouldn’t be in the business.”“

Hawaii: 1,400 on waiting list for filled UH dorms - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii’s Newspaper: , Uhm, it’s a credit to their planning. “O’ahu students, especially those living close to UH, get last priority for rooms on campus, and the shortage means that few of them could end up being accommodated. ‘We’ve got O’ahu parents screaming because we’ve given no rooms to O’ahu students yet,’ Watts said. ‘We don’t have the space.’ ”