We wanted to better understand the choices people who work in low income jobs and jobseekers living in London have to make about how to travel to work.
The report, "Living on the Edge" identified the following:
- Most people living in London are resigned to the high cost of travel.
- 36%, or a projected 500,000 commuters, are not using the quickest or best journey available to them.
- Travel cost is one of the main factors influencing choice of travel route for 1 in 4 Londoners.
- A projected 70,000 outer London residents commuting to zone 1 could get to work faster if they spent more.
- One in five commuters from outer London to zone 1 cut other spending to pay for travel to work.
- Travel to work accounts for almost one tenth of a manual worker's average earnings
The study contains a list of potential improvements that were identified by individuals participating in the research. These include:
- Better promotion of existing discounts, such as the daily cap for Oyster and contactless card users and the JobCentre Plus Travel Discount.
- Making it easier to obtain season ticket loans.
- Re-instatement of off-peak travelcards.
- Concessionary fares and tax-free travel for those on low incomes.
The executive summary and the full study can be read here.
