IT'S not the journey but what happens on the way that makes travelling to work unpleasant, a survey shows.

It takes on average 27 minutes for Australians to get to work, with it taking 45 minutes for 17 per cent, the study by office space provider Regus indicates.

But it's not the time taken to get to work that bothers commuters, it's what happens on the way that stresses them out.   

Regus surveyed 10,000 businesses to rank the seven most annoying aspects of travelling to work.

Top of the list was dangerous drivers, followed by traffic jams, road rage, people talking too loudly on mobile phones, pollution and overheating.   

Also making the list was a lack of adequate information from service providers, and the body odour of other commuters or smelly food.



"The mobile phone pest evidently remains with us, with offenders not realising - or caring - that they are ruining many people's day right from the start," Regus spokesman William Willems said.

However he said the insidious power of bad smells could not be underestimated in terms of getting a day off to a bad start.

He does have some advice for avoiding such stresses - namely working closer to home and travelling outside of peak hours.

"We advocate flexible working locations and hours to avoid all these stresses and strains which can have such
an adverse effect on employee's motivation and happiness," he said.

The seven sins of commuting:   

1. Dangerous drivers

2. Traffic jams

3. Road rage

4. People talking too loudly on mobile phones

5. Pollution and overheating

6. Lack of adequate information from service providers

7. Body odour of other commuters or smelly food.


Comments on this story

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     Burnt Out Posted at 10:20 PM March 10, 2011

         27 Minutes! I would love to only have to travel for 27 minutes. Takes me over an hour. Lucky people who live close to work.

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     Tango Posted at 10:04 PM March 10, 2011

         In peak hour, dangerous drivers are not able to be too dangersous because you can only drive at 10kph. If you are annoyed by traffic jams, don't drive in peak times. Otherwise harden up. If someone talks loudly on a mobile, I engage a fellow commuter in a loud conversation starting with: "People who talk loudly on mobile phones really tick me off." To me stinking of BO is number one. If it's the end of the day and you are sweaty use a spray cologne or some wipes or do something FFS. On a crowded bus or train you can't get away from it. I usually offer a spray cologne to those people, to their embarrassment.

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     Maree of Sydney Posted at 10:00 PM March 10, 2011

         It takes me 90 mins to get to work. Two-four mins on the bus, a wait on the train station and then about an hour on the train. While I have overheard some interesting mobile phone conversations, including one guy trying to score drugs, I do think people talk too loudly about their personal business. People who bring Maccas or Hungry Jacks meals on the train stink out the carriages. But the worst offenders are parents who allow their children to treat the carriages as play pens, or who yell and threaten the children throughout the journey. Unfortunately I have encountered many of the latter...

If I ever work again it'll be chauffeur driven. ( I mean I do work now but at home, so it's a promise I can make myself without having to keep it - the best kind of promise)

Another thing bad about travelling to work is, that it can be quite costly and the expenses cannot be deducted from taxes.
If somebody spends $60.00 to go to work why should he/she pay tax on $60.00 which comes out of their pocket.
I,am surprised no Union has put that on their agenda.