From Catherine Roseberry,
Your Guide to Mobile Office Technology.
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The growing trend in North America, especially the United States is toward government benefits to companies that focus on creating programs aimed at decreasing vehicular traffic and the resulting pollution created. These programs include telecommuting and other alternative work arrangements.

In both the Clean Air Amendment Act 1990 and Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 Public Law 102-240, telecommuting is specifically mentioned as a means of achieving the goals set forth in each act. Within the ISTEA it states:
"funds can be used to support the planning, development and marketing of telecommuting programs designed to improve air quality and reduce congestion." The environment is the biggest factor behind promotion of these efforts. The US government is taking steps to make it more attractive for companies to consider alternative work arrangements, which will help prevent, slow down or even stop damage to the environment.
These plans include:

• Incentives or benefits for reducing miles driven
• Incentives for no driving

Maryland was the first state to implement a law that gave employers a strong incentive to pay employees an added income - "pay me not to drive". Not only does this serve to support environmental goals but it also provides added income to lower wage earners.

While the use of car pooling programs and encouraging the use of public transportation are both good solutions to help the environment, they are not always the most feasible. Neither are very flexible and in some cases, public transportation is not the most reliable means. Some areas do not even receive service from public transportation, so some method of personal vehicle use is still required. Some car pools also require a personal vehicle to be used to meet at a centralised pick up location. This can increase commuting time and doesn't really change the number of vehicles being used. It may only shorten the distance that an individual drives on a daily basis.

Working towards a goal of improving the air quality and reducing traffic congestion is by far one of the best reasons to implement telecommuting and alternative work options. For companies taking these steps forward, even without government assistance, they help create a healthier environment, by decreasing the pollutants released by vehicles, increasing air quality and encouraging energy conservation.