Workers now take an average commute of 27 days a year getting to and from work after travel times increased by five minutes a day compared to a decade ago, the TUC said.
Rail passengers face the longest journeys at an average of two hours 12 minutes a day, compared with 52 minutes for drivers and 39 minutes for those who travel by bus, the research found. People who walk to work have the quickest daily journeys at 30 minutes, followed by cyclists (43 minutes). Londoners have the longest commute, while Welsh people have the shortest, the TUC added.
We’re now spending 27 working days a year going to and from work. That’s wasted time, which could have been better spent with family and friends.
Commutes should be getting shorter, but inflexible bosses and our cash-starved transport system mean we’re wasting more and more time getting to work.
It doesn’t have to be like this. Home working and less rigid hours would take pressure off road and rail.
Working flexibly means working a different work pattern to the way you work now. It can be achieved in a number of ways, such as changing your hours, by working from home, part-time, flexi-time, job sharing and shift working.
Anyone can ask to work flexibly but those with 26 weeks’ continuous service will be eligible to make a statutory request. This triggers a process your employer has to follow.
You can find out more about flexible working requests here.