* Commute cost vs. telecommuting
Many cities are deploying light rail and other mass transit systems in an effort to ease automotive traffic congestion. In my own area, for example, a light rail system is being built that will eventually link Sea-Tac Airport, downtown Seattle, downtown Tacoma and a variety of other areas within the greater Seattle metro area.
However, light rail and other forms of mass transit are VERY expensive. For example, according to the Federal Transit Administration, the average cost per passenger-mile for a light rail system in the United States is $1.80. According to the American Public Transit Association, the cost for bus transport fares much better, but is still an expensive 80 cents per passenger-mile. Automobiles are less expensive still at 35 cents per passenger-mile according to the Federal Highway Administration.
However, the cheapest mode of transportation may be the 40-foot trip downstairs to your office. For example, if you had a properly configured unified communications and collaboration system that allowed you access to your e-mail, documents, voice, fax and the presence information of others with whom you work, you could probably work at home for at least part of your week, doing away with a need for transportation altogether. For example, consider the following annual costs for someone with a 30-mile roundtrip commute each day who goes into an office 230 days each year:
* Light rail (assuming you can walk to the station): $12,420 per year
* Bus: $5,520
* Car: $2,415
If a unified communications system deployed at home could replace two days per week in the office, that would save $966 per year on automobile expenses alone, not to mention the positive impact it would have on reducing traffic congestion, saving employee time, improving the quality of life for employees who might be less likely to leave their employer, etc.
In short, unified communications might be a much better alternative to the billions that are being spent on mass transit systems.
