Telecommuting generally refers to a formal arrangement between employees and their employers with regard to conducting work at home or at a remote work centre (a satellite office or drop in centre available to anyone) as opposed to the main workplace. Telecommuting covers a wide range of working concepts with emphasis being placed on flexibility. A study funded by the DETR (1997) identified four key areas, these were:

• home-based telecommuting;
  
• having a base office but conducting most work in the field;
  
• mobile working (perhaps at different sites); and,
  
• working in local work centres (perhaps co-located with related businesses), linked to the head office information system.

In general the arrangements for telecommuting are formalised between employers and employees and are often, but not always, part of a programme incorporating changes in a company’s organisation, property portfolio, business processes and working practices. Telecommuting has the potential to reduce overall vehicle kms, particularly during the peak commuting hours, and so lead to improvements in environmental and accident impacts. There are also potentially other, non-transport, benefits associated with telecommuting:

1. Increased productivity of labour and increase in motivation of employees;
2. Reduced facility space and expenses for employers;
3. Access to a wide labour pool, recruitment and retention of valued labour for employers; and,
4. Proximity to family and community and improved quality of life for employees.

Whether telecommuting can fulfil its potential to reduce overall vehicle kms is dependent upon personal life styles and travel patterns. Whilst it will reduce commuting trips for the employee who is choosing to telecommute there is no guarantee that the availability of a car will not encourage other household members to use it for work or non-work purposes. There may even be an increase in vehicle kms but if this increase is limited to off-peak periods there will still be some benefit to society. The evidence appears to support the premise that telecommuting tends to reduce the overall level of vehicle kms.