13.11.18
Commute times surge by five minutes in past 10 years, with Wales and North East suffering most
Travel times to and from work now take an extra five minutes longer, with rail commuters facing the longest journeys, new analysis shows.
In a report by the TUC today, rail commuters face the longest journeys, taking an average of two hours and 11 minutes every day—an increase of four minutes on the last decade.
Those in London take the longest to get to and from work, travelling for an hour and 21 minutes each day, which is 23 minutes longer than the average across the UK.
Regionally around the UK, areas in Wales, the south west, and the north east have all received the largest increase: rising by 8.4, 6.2, and six minutes respectively.
Interestingly, Northern Ireland is the only area in the UK where commute times have actually decreased: falling slightly from 46.2 minutes to 40 minutes.
People from BME backgrounds face longer journeys, where the average commute for those from minority backgrounds is one hour and nine minutes, compared to 57 minutes for white workers.
Drivers spend 52 minutes on the road to work and back (up by three minutes), while bus commuters must set aside 79 minutes a day (up by seven minutes).
Cyclists (44 minutes) and walkers (29 minutes) have the quickest daily journeys.
The result is that, on average, commute lengths in the UK have increased by just under five minutes: in 2007 the average commute took 53.6 minutes, compared to 58.4 minutes in 2017.
Travelling by train, a both-ways commute for rail has increased from 126.8 to 130.6 minutes—a surge of nearly four minutes.
Work Wise UK chief executive Phil Flaxton said long commutes have become a part of the UK’s “working culture.”
“Not only is the time spent commuting an issue, the 9-to-5 culture with its peak travel times generates congestion. And the rush-hours on railways, underground and road networks increase stress for commuters,” he added.
“The overall message for employers is that job satisfaction can be improved, and stress levels reduced if workers have opportunities to cut their commuting time. That could mean working from home occasionally or staggering their hours. It could also be good news for employee wellbeing and retention, with lower costs to businesses.”
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