What would you say a reasonable commute to work would be?

After applying constantly for new jobs for months, I got a call yesterday with regards to a job interview. To which I realised the job would be based 42 miles away :eek: Which would approximately be a 50 minute daily commute each way.

I'm more than likely going to have to turn the opportunity down. Though I'm curious as to what people on this forum think a reasonable commute time would be?
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  • comeandgo
    comeandgo Posts: 5,731
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    My usual travel is two and a half hours each way, around 250 miles a day. This is done three days a week. I work from home but have a large area to cover.
  • Jlawson118
    Jlawson118 Posts: 1,132
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    comeandgo wrote: »
    My usual travel is two and a half hours each way, around 250 miles a day. This is done three days a week. I work from home but have a large area to cover.

    I guess three days a week isn't a major inconvenience, or would you say it is?
  • antrobus
    antrobus Posts: 17,386 Forumite
    Jlawson118 wrote: »
    .... Though I'm curious as to what people on this forum think a reasonable commute time would be?

    Depends on the individual and the mode of transport.

    50 minutes ain't anything special.

    The average daily commute lasted 57.1 minutes in 2015, the ONS data showed.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38026625

    For Londoners I think it's more like 75 minutes.
  • peachyprice
    peachyprice Posts: 22,346
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    50 mins? More than reasonable.
    Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and face your future without fear
  • comeandgo
    comeandgo Posts: 5,731
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    Jlawson118 wrote: »
    I guess three days a week isn't a major inconvenience, or would you say it is?

    No, it's no inconvenience, it's what I have to do so just get on with it.
  • greenbee
    greenbee Posts: 16,073
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    Fifty minutes sounds lovely... my nearest office is over an hour away and I regularly travel a LOT further.

    Mind you, when I first started work I aimed to live 15-20 minutes from the office, so things change. I'm certainly not going to move for every new job, so have to work with the location issues. Last week I was working in Spain, the week before in Australia, the one before that in Illinois and the one before that in Texas. Driving up the M3 to Berkshire next week doesn't seem so bad...
  • JReacher1
    JReacher1 Posts: 4,652
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    Anything less than an hour is reasonable although what mode of transport would you be commuting in? Driving 42 miles during rush hour in 50 minutes may be optimistic.
  • Kayalana99
    Kayalana99 Posts: 3,626
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    I think the travel distance should reflect the pay. There is no point driving 1+ hours for min wage, but if it takes you 90min to get to work on a 50k+ wage then fair play.

    Swings and roundabouts what suits you. I've been driving an hour each way 5 days a week for my last job but my Husband had free fuel with his company car so the drive didn't bother me at all - but if I'd have been paying fuel it would prob have cost too much for the job to have been worth it.
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  • Jlawson118
    Jlawson118 Posts: 1,132
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    Wow I didn't realise people's commutes would be as much as that! I've been in three different jobs, my first being 15/20 minutes away (45 - 60 in rush hour but that didn't bother me), my second being around a two minute drive, and my current being ten minutes!

    My commute to said new job (providing all was to go well) would be myself driving. It would be from Leeds to Doncaster, so mostly M62 & A1M. Presuming the job started at 7am like most of the role's other shift patterns, I probably wouldn't hit rush hour.
  • Jlawson118
    Jlawson118 Posts: 1,132
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    Kayalana99 wrote: »
    I think the travel distance should reflect the pay. There is no point driving 1+ hours for min wage, but if it takes you 90min to get to work on a 50k+ wage then fair play.

    Swings and roundabouts what suits you. I've been driving an hour each way 5 days a week for my last job but my Husband had free fuel with his company car so the drive didn't bother me at all - but if I'd have been paying fuel it would prob have cost too much for the job to have been worth it.

    Fuel did cross my mind straight after the phone call. I get around 400 - 550 miles out of a tank on a good run, so I thought if I'm commuting 84 miles per day, I would be filling up just about every week. Now it would be a managerial job but looking at the average salary for that role within the company on Indeed, it averages around the same as what I'm on now, and I think putting £60 per week in my car would soon start to add up, especially when I am filling it up every 3 - 4 weeks at the moment. It wouldn't bother me too much to put that much in fortnightly, but every week on this salary would be disappointing.
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