SPONSORED EDITORIAL

Kent workers could nearly halve the cost of their commute and lower stress levels by changing their route to work, according to a new study.

One in five employees from the county arrive for their jobs exhausted from their journey, said research commissioned by coach company The Kings Ferry.

It claimed the stress of crawling along in heavy traffic by car or standing on a packed train is sapping energy long before staff tackle the morning workload.

It also showed commuters spend about five hours and 21 minutes a week traveling to work, shelling out as much as £93.13 a week or £4,284 a year to travel an average of 25 miles a day.

The statistics emerged from a survey of 1,500 commuters in the county, carried out by 3 Gem Research & Insight, which revealed the cost of travelling to and from work is the biggest bugbear of staff.

The research said one in five Kent rail commuters and 12% who travel by car deem their journey to work “too expensive”.

More than a quarter of workers (28%) have had to cut back on savings elsewhere to afford their annual commute and 26% have had to change their route to work to reduce their expenses.

It comes as the regulated cost of rail fares is set to rise 1.9% by January.

“With regular delays and breakdowns on railways, overcrowding and increasing prices on train fares plus the cost of motoring continuing to rise, it’s of no surprise that employees from the region are fed up and exhausted..." - The Kings Ferry

However, people who travel to work by train could cut their travel costs nearly in half by switching to coach, with a journey on the Kings Ferry costing £2,115 a year compared to the most expensive rail route of £4,024.

A spokesperson from Gillingham-based The Kings Ferry Coaches, which commissioned the research, said: “A stressful daily commute can really impact on your overall sense of wellbeing by the time you get to work.

“With regular delays and breakdowns on railways, overcrowding and increasing prices on train fares plus the cost of motoring continuing to rise, it’s of no surprise that employees from the region are fed up and exhausted.

“Fortunately we can provide some light relief for new passengers travelling to work with us by helping them to save as much as 50% on their annual commute.

“You can’t control signal failures or leaves on the line but you may be able to control the amount you pay annually for your commute given that we continue to be considerably cheaper than rail.”