Is 45-75mins a normal commute these days?

Marcon

RedfordML said:

Trying to weigh a role up. 

Now I didn’t put miles as many of us have jobs less miles, more time due to location and traffic issues. 

Would you commute up to an hour for a job? Thanks 

Surely the best way to make a decision is for you to decide how much you want the job - and whether the lure of the role, not to mention the cost of the commute in both monetary and time terms, is sufficiently attractive. 

Why does it matter what other people would do? Are you going to take the job if loads of people on this thread assure you that hey, three hours a day commuting is absolutely nothing(!)?

New_in_the_fens

Before the pandemic, my commute varied between 1.5 to 2 hours each way, 5 days per week. Over the years I’ve spent more hours on a train, a tube or in a car than I care to think about. It never bothered me, I‘ve commuted since I started work at 18.

Post pandemic and I’ve moved much further away from my ‘base’ office. I go onto the office once per week and work remotely the rest of the time. My commute is about 3 hours each way. Mostly by train, but sometimes I drive 100 miles closer and then train from there (good reasons!)

I’m quite happy - I’ve typically always enjoyed my jobs and the commute has just been a part of that for the last 30+ years. 

But if you’ve never been a commuter, it might be harder for you to get used to. I listen to music, work, sleep, read, catch up on admin and generally decompress from a busy working day. It’s not wasted time, 

Savvy_Sue

I consider myself fortunate to have generally had a shorter commute than 45 minutes, but only just, and depended hugely on traffic and time of day. 

My last commute was only 4 miles: 40 minutes on the train (if it wasn't cancelled), and generally about the same in the car if I was trying to be there by 9 am. I tried not to be there by 9 am too often ... 

DullGreyGuy

RedfordML said:

Trying to weigh a role up. 

Now I didn’t put miles as many of us have jobs less miles, more time due to location and traffic issues. 

Would you commute up to an hour for a job? Thanks 

My commute used to be 70 minutes into work, the way back is harder to judge and have less control of what time I get to the station and if I got there c5 minutes before as I do in the other direction I'd be standing most the way whereas getting there 20 minutes before it leaves I get a seat the whole way. 

What I didnt like about my commute was it was lots of bits... drive to the station, train to London, tube to the area of the office, moderate walk to the office. When I worked elsewhere the journey length was about the same but it was a single bus which was almost outside my door to outside the office so it was 65+ minutes I could read, doze, play a game etc. 

I've known guys doing 2hrs each way but most of that was a single train ride and at least one had a first class season ticket to guarantee a seat and a table. 

HouseMartin567

How many days will you have to go to office? I wouldn’t want to be doing that 5 days a week. My commute is about 25mins inbound and normally about 35mins going home (2-3 times per week). I do try and avoid peak travel times, but sometimes that is unavoidable, in which case I am looking around 45-60 mins each way.

Andy_L

"The average usual commuting time in Great Britain was 27 minutes in 2021. This was broadly similar to previous years.

This ranged from:

15 minutes for walking

63 minutes for travelling by rail"

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-statistics-great-britain-2022/transport-statistics-great-britain-2022-domestic-travel#how-we-commute

SensibleSarah

I've done a couple of hours each way before - 5 days a week. Absolutely not sustainable for me personally in the long-term, even though it was decent money - that only matters for so long. My job before the pandemic was only about 4 miles away, but into the city centre and the journey took around 45 minutes by car or an hour by bus inbound and a bit longer going home. 
These days, I wouldn't consider any work situation where I wasn't fully remote - but that's my personal take and my stage of career and industry enable this, which I'm aware isn't possible (or preferable) for everyone. 
We're all different and some people I know absolutely love a chunky commute as it is their 'me' time. 

MattMattMattUK

Commutes vary, if I work from, home it is about eight seconds from bedroom to desk, if I leave as early as I normally do the my commute averages 26.5 minutes, if I leave later, but still getting in before nine it can easily increase to 45-60 minutes apart from school holidays when it is around 30 minutes. However my average for the last month has been over an hour as morons keep crashing, two days it has been over two hours after getting stuck on the motorway. Which goes to demonstrate just how variable the same commute can be.

I know people who will now only work jobs that are WFH as they have decided commuting upsets them too much, others who will only do hybrid or short commutes and others still who commute 2-3 hours a day five days a week. It depends on reasons and reward and those vary by person. Would I commute an hour a day for minimum wage? Not a chance. Would I commute 2-3 hours a day for 200k? Yes.

n1guy

Depends on the salary tbh.  Min wage wouldn't be worth it

DanielDeronda

Earlier in my career,  I was prepared to do a 90min commute, usually more as trains weren't reliable & I then had a bus then a walk to get to the office. The job & company were top notch, but ended suffering from burnout.

With COVID, I've now got the perfect mix of working from home & a far simpler commute into Central London if I need to be in the office.  I'm in my 50s now so hybrid working is a key criteria for any new job.