We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Car website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookies at any time
The start point for the best source of fleet information |
New research by workers' rights union GMB suggests journey times to and from work have increased in the last five years.
The union's study, which is based on statistics from the government, suggests the average commute from home to work increased from 27 to 29 minutes between 2011 and 2016.
That may not sound like a lot, but GMB said this equates to 14 extra hours behind the wheel each year, or 230 million hours shared between the UK's 16 million drivers.
Eight of the areas with the ten longest average commutes were in London and all are in the south-east, GMB said. Those commuting to work from the London borough of Richmond upon Thames face the longest journey to work, at an average of 50 minutes. This is followed by those living in the London borough of Greenwich (48 minutes) and the Chilterns (47 minutes).
According to GMB, those who work as a prison officer have the longest commute, averaging 44 minutes, followed by those in the energy and water sectors (38 minutes), with agency workers - defined as those who reported they were paid through an employment agency - facing an average commuting time of 36 minutes.
GMB's survey also found that rail passengers face the longest journeys to work, with the average passenger spending 66 minutes onboard trains, up by two minutes on figures from 2011, while people taking the bus to work have an average journey time of 39 minutes, two minutes longer than in 2011.
"A couple of minutes on your journey to work might not sound like much to some people, but that works out at 14 hours a year stuck in traffic instead of being at home with loved ones," said Jude Brimble, GMB national secretary. "This isn't just bad for commuters and the economy - it's a huge strain on the people who build and maintain our transport infrastructure, as well as public transport workers like our members in the bus industry."
Brimble added: "The slowdown is partly down to a runaway housing market and employers placing ever more unreasonable demands on people's working patterns. But it's also the responsibility of Tory ministers who have slashed funding for fixing our pothole-ridden local roads, cut subsidies for local buses, and broken their promises for investment in our roads and railways."
In response to the GMB research, Matthew Walters, head of consultancy at Leaseplan UK, said: "Our own research has shown the car is actually the preferred way to travel home after a long day with over 84% choosing their own car and less than 1% (0.3%) would choose to take the tube."
Walters added: "The time spent driving also gives people a chance to relax and wind down from work, with a third (32%) of drivers actually feeling relaxed behind the wheel and just under half of professionals questioned (35?44 year olds) said they use their car as a way to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life for some 'me time'."
BusinessCar magazine ©2019
Business Car Magazine © 2020 | Business Car is part of NS Media Group.
