Commuting by car costs GBP10 billion per year on fuel alone, according to Work Wise UK and the AA, which revealed the figure on smarter travel day, 18 May. The day, organised by smart working campaigner, Work Wise UK, highlights how working practices, such as working from home and flexible working, and alternative ways of travelling can cut the cost of commuting and reduce emissions and congestion.
The UKs 18 million driving commuters on average drive 2,740 miles per year, according to the AA. The number of UK employees working from home (excluding self-employed) has increased by almost a third, or 31.8%, over the last decade to 2008. More than 3.5 million people work from home, representing 12.3% or one-in-eight of the population, an increase of 650,000 since 1997.
Regionally, the highest growth in the past decade has been seen in the East Midlands with 48%, followed by the South West with 47.2%, Yorkshire and Humberside with 41.0% and the West Midlands with 39%.
The highest proportion of home workers is in the South West with 15.4%, followed by the South East with 14.5% and Eastern England with 14.2%. The lowest is in Scotland with 9.1%, followed by the North East with 10.0%.
The growth of internet enabled smart working practices like home working have allowed most business to cut their office space requirement by a quarter, according to a study by the British Council of Offices.
Home working is one of the smarter working practices being promoted through the Work Wise UK campaign, which is entering its fourth year. Others include flexible working, such as condensed hours and nine-day fortnights, mobile and remote working. Work Wise partners are led by the TUC, CBI, British Chambers of Commerce, BT and Transport for London. The campaign aims to encourage half the working population, some 14 million people, to be offered smarter working by 2011.
In the credit crunch we need to get smarter about the way we travel as car commuting costs some 10 billion per year. We should also consider whether we need to travel at all, says Edmund King, the AA president. Three hundred AA employees are saving 90,000 litres of fuel or 620,000 miles commuting each year by working from home. Our employees are saving valuable time and money by working from home.
“In transport terms home working cuts out the commute, reducing congestion and carbon emissions. Hopefully other companies will follow the AA lead to put more workers on the superhighway rather than the actual highway now that the technology is much more affordable. We can also be smarter about walking, cycling, using public transport or car sharing when appropriate. I frequently dial in to meetings rather than drive in.
In a tough economic climate we must do all we can to cut the massive cost of commuting, says Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK. Not only is it hitting peoples wallets, but Britain is also losing billions in lost productivity through time wasted sitting in traffic. The internet and the mobile communications revolution provide an alternative to travelling every day to a main place of work. Working from home, holding meetings virtually and cycling for shorter journeys, are all ways that can help save money and the environment.
L.D.