Do you have a desk or office where you could leave a spare tube and a mini-tool? If so, your longest walk of shame would be only 2 miles, at the most, before you got to either your office or your home.

At any rate, I would not take the tools for such a short ride. Especially if you're using a patch kit rather than changing the tube. It's probably going to take at least 10 minutes to fix a tire, especially in rain, snow, or darkness. By that time, you could have walked or the good old #1 bus would have come and gone.

Check your tire pressure often, and check your rims too. Watch out for potholes and debris. You won't get flats very often. FYI, pothole season is just starting here in michigan. They can literally spring up on your route while you're at work. You don't want to end up like that guy in Florida!