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Introduction

The sites described below have been developed and are operating under the aegis of the University of California, Davis Residential Area-Based Offices Program (RABO). This program, sponsored by the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is being administered by the University of California, Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis). The objective of the program is to assess the feasibility of establishing neighborhood telework centers as a transportation demand strategy, and to measure the impact of telecommuting both on travel behavior and on participants' attitudes towards work and telecommuting. As part of the program, ITS-Davis has entered into agreements with various agencies, both public and private, to plan, develop, and operate telecenters throughout California. These participating agencies, known as site developers, also provide the data collection services which are the heart of the study itself.

Because a major portion of the RABO program involves conceiving, implementing and assessing strategies for establishing viable telecenters, it is by nature evolutionary. As the University and participating sites continue in this evolutionary process, certain themes are taking greater definition. One such theme is the need to create a stronger revenue base for the individual telecenters through diversification of services provided. By contract, the University's funding for the telecenters' operations terminates in June 1995. Although some centers have secured additional funding from other sources, in the main RABO has provided the greater share of the operating funds for most sites. As the site developers look to transition from publicly-supported to self-sustaining concerns, it is becoming increasingly apparent that, for many, relying solely on telecommuting as a revenue source may not be sufficient. Most sites have a rental fee policy currently in place for telecenter usage; many are planning to increase those fees to compensate for income lost from the University. However, in the absence of additional sponsorship, these fees may provide insufficient revenue to offset operating costs. Many developers are therefore planning expansion of the revenue base to strengthen the economic viability of their center. Strategies for economic diversification include partnering with educational institutions to serve as centers for distance learning or as extended campuses; providing drop-in user services, such as access to scanners, printers, faxes, computer software, and CD ROM libraries; providing computer support in the form of computer classes for participating employers and for the surrounding community; or partnering with private enterprise to provide extended communications technology for international trade. Most of these sites are in the process of exploring and implementing these economic strategies.

Another key theme is the amount of time necessary to recruit. From initial contact with employees, managers or company representatives to secured participation often takes months. The developers have identified and implemented a variety of marketing strategies to approach this issue. These strategies tend to fall into one of two groups: one is to establish contact with and market to interested employees; the other is to identify potential participants through key employers. Recruitment activities are conducted to achieve the overall marketing strategy. Thus, some sites favor a direct approach to the surrounding community, and employ such techniques as direct mail or distribution of flyers; others promote their center through radio and cable television media; still others work within companies to identify and procure the assistance of a key individual or "champion" who has the ability to secure employee participation. Most developers use a combination of these strategies to effect recruitment into their centers. Regardless of the method used, the common thread is the amount of time necessary for sustained recruitment efforts to yield results. For many, it appears that recruitment activities begin to yield dramatic results six months to a year after initiating a vigorous marketing campaign. Moreover, there appears to be a correlation between the amount of time a center is in operation, and the amount of interest expressed by potential participants. This interest is attributable in part to referrals from users themselves. It may also be that as the centers continue their promotion efforts, the concept of teleworking is becoming increasingly familiar to the general public, and hence more acceptable as a work option. And although to date there has been little concerted regional coordination of marketing activities between the different telecenters, sites are enjoying the benefits of referrals from employers already using other RABO telecenters; one major California employer, for example, has provided for employee participation in two Northern California centers, and is negotiating with a third center in Southern California.

For the most part, the planning and developing stages of these centers are past. It is now time to examine the growth and diversification of these sites as they settle and mature in operations. It is the intent of this report and succeeding versions of it to track them as they continue to evolve.

The status of the RABO sites, their physical layout and services provided are more particularly described below and in the following pages. A rental price schedule for each site is attached.

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