The Cost of Commuting

THE COST OF COMMUTING Over 70% of the UK's workforce commute to work. Increases in fuel prices and rail fares are a key concern for the majority of Britons. The average household in the UK spends £34.14 That's equivalent to £1,775 a year on petrol each week. UK retail petrol prices from 1999 150p O price per litre 120p 90p Petrol prices are double what they were in 60p 1999 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 The average cost of an annual train season ticket is That's Rail season tickets can cost up to 8% £2,191 18% of the median UK salary of £26,082 of the average Londoner's salary. Average price of rail season tickets The rail fares index provides a measure of the change in the prices charged by train operating companies to rail passengers 150 140 130 120 Rail fares for season ticket holders 110 have risen by as much as 50% 100 90 in the past decade 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 How long do we spend commuting each year? 190h Scotland 179h North East Northern Ireland O 190h 179h O Yorkshire and Humber North West O 182h 175h O East Midlands West Midlands O 181h 205h O East of England Wales O 166h 277h O London South West O 170h 205h O South East The average worker spends * * * * 197 HOURS 25% each year commuting of the working population takes more than an hour to get to work In London, 40% of people commute by public transport compared to only 9% outside the capital. HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR COMMUTE CAR SHARING Drivers travelling alone spend an extra £1,017 a year compared to those travelling with two or more passengers. Every day there are The average car sharer can save around 10 £800 million empty seats on our roads. a year. FIND THE BEST FARE FOR YOU Londoners are overpaying The most economical fare is determined by the frequency of £200m travel in zones 1 & 2. a year on fares by not buying the cheapest tickets. How often do you travel? PAYG PEAK SINGLE/ If you are making fewer than 3 journeys a day, or 11 journeys a week. RETURN TRIP If you are making more than 3 journeys a day, fewer than 3 days a week. PEAK DAY TRAVEL CARD If you are making more than 3 journeys a day, more than 3 days a week. 7 DAY TRAVEL CARD MONTH If you are making more than 11 journeys a week, TRAVEL CARD more than 4 weeks a month. If you are making more than 43 journeys a month (e.g. commuting to and from work 21 days in a month), more than 10 months a year. YEAR TRAVEL CARD DRIVE EFFICIENTLY Fuel costs can be reduced by up to 30% without increasing journey time. Driving smoothly is safer, cheaper and less stressful: Accelerate gradually Slow naturally rather than brake hard Drive in a high gear (in most cars you can safely change to 3rd gear at 18mph) CUT COSTS BY CUSTOMISING YOUR CAR Fuel saving measure Potential efficiency improvement Use low viscosity oil 5% Buy tyres with low rolling resistance 3% Inflate tyres to recommended air 3% pressure Remove bike racks (16%) and roof boxes 2% Reduce weight by de-cluttering Total efficiency improvement Reduce weight by driving on half a tank CYCLE This will reduce your fuel costs to next to nothing - and keep you fit. The government's Bike2Work Scheme provides discounts of up to 42% on bicycles and equipment to participating employers If the daily commute really is getting too much... You could always try these more unorthodox methods of getting in to the office: Put a spring in your step: buy a Space Hopper. Surprise the secretary: £19.99 post yourself to work. FRAGILE £32.82 Commute from the nineteenth century: hire a horse-drawn carriage. Drop in unexpectedly: hire a glider. £50 £77 Have a few pints before you get there: hire a milk-float. Show the boss you're a real high flyer: hire a £400 WWII Fighter Plane (you will need to provide your own parachute) £760 They'll never see you coming: rent a submarine. £60,000 SOURCES Quarterly Energy Prices December 2012, Table 4.1.2 - www.decc.go.uk Most commuters favour car - study - www.news.bbc.co.uk Regional Family Spending in England - www.neighbourhcod.statistics.gov.uk Cost of commuting continues to outstrip wage rises - www.hrzone.co.uk/ Rail fare increases for 2013: how do commuter routes compare? - www.guardian.co.uk The average worker wastes five weeks a year commuting - www.thisismoney.co.uk Save up to £800 a year on your commute - www.moneywise.co.uk www.cyclescheme.co.uk 'Mining Mobility Data to Minimise Travellers' Spending on Public Transport', N. Lathia, L. Capra. ACM SIGKDD 2011 Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. San Diego, California, USA. August 21-24, 2011. Fuel saving tips - http://thinkblue.volkswagen.com www.16-25railcard.co.uk www.railcard.co.uk/network Cheap Petrol & Diesel: Cut your fuel spend by a third - www.moneysavingexpert.com Science Museum Giant Retro Space Hopper www.argos.co.uk Basic: 30 mins with 2 seater carriage and single horse - www.blackhorses.co.uk 83.6kg Parcel (weight of the average UK male) - www.parcelmonkey.co.uk Your Very Own On-Demand Rent-A-Sub - www.gizmodo.com Price List (Guest Pass + One Day Glider Hire) - www.wolds-gliding.org Before You Die: Take to the sky in a World War II Warbird - www.beforeyoudie.co.uk Half-day hire - www.theoldmilkfloat.co.uk PRODUCED BY MoneySupermarket com TM