Ranked: The UK regions with the longest and shortest daily commutes
Commuters in the capital are now battling an 81 minute daily journey in and out of work, the equivalent of 38 working days a year, according to new analysis by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The one hour 21 minute journey for Londoners is 23 minutes longer than the national average journey for commuters, which takes 58 minutes. Across the country, workers in the capital take the longest to get to and from work.
Meanwhile, the number of people facing very long commutes, defined as above two hours, is also up by a third.
Commute length across different regions (in minutes):
| Region | 2006 | 2016 |
| 1. London | 74.8 | 80.6 |
| 2. South East | 55.4 | 62.2 |
| 3. East of England | 54.6 | 59.8 |
| 4. North West | 48.8 | 55.6 |
| 5. Scotland | 49.8 | 53 |
| 6. Yorkshire and Humberside | 49 | 52.8 |
| 7. North East | 45.2 | 52 |
| 8. South West | 46.4 | 51.4 |
| 9. East Midlands | 46.4 | 51.2 |
| 10. West Midlands | 48.2 | 51 |
| 11. Wales | 43.8 | 49.2 |
| 12. Northern Ireland | 46.2 | 45.8 |
Getting to and from work now takes London commuters an extra six minutes a day compared with a decade ago, marking an extra 22 hours a year spent travelling.
Every English region now faces an average commute time topping 50 minutes a day.
TUC regional secretary for London, Megan Dobney said:
Commutes should be getting shorter, but inflexible bosses and our cash-starved transport system mean we’re wasting more and more time getting to work.
It doesn’t have to be like this. Home working and less rigid hours would take pressure off road and rail. And serious government investment could give us a transport network that’s up to the job.
Rail commuters take the longest to get to and from work, with an average of two hour 12 minute journeys, compared to drivers facing a 52 minute trip on the road, while walkers have an average trip of just 30 minutes a day.