Commuters reveal what they hate most

Millions of Brits travel to work for two hours or more every single weekday, making even the smallest irritations grow over time. The research was run by OSV, who wanted to discover what left a lasting impact on workers once they reach the office. What starts as a minor annoyance can lead to commuters changing their routes, modes of transport and even encourage workers to search for a new job.

Workers often reach their peak frustration within just 13 minutes of their journey, and a majority heading to the office in the morning are expected to get fed up with everything from having to de-ice the car, endless traffic jams and anything that unnecessarily delays reaching work. In most cases, the biggest problems for commuters involved having to deal with other people.

When taking public transport, from buses to trains and tube travel, passengers who push on before giving time to let people off first were most likely to cause a reaction, with nearly one in three admitting it topped their pet peeves list. The trouble doesn’t end once on the bus, however, with around one in five finding themselves irritated by rubbish left on public transport by other commuters and a further 15% end up annoyed by intrusions such as coughers, sneezers and those playing music too loud.

Driving to work doesn’t minimise the problems brought on by other commuters either, with 27% having to deal with other motorists using their phone while driving. Other offenses on the road to work included forgetting to indicate, driving under the speed limit, hogging the middle lane and sudden braking. Sharing roads with lorries, buses and tractors also added to the stress by the time employees clock in.

“After spending so much time and money on commuting, it’s not a surprise that certain habits and behaviours can test people’s patience,” said Debbie Kirkley, co-founder of OSV. “But, next time you feel frustrated with your fellow commuters, just remember that it’s likely that every other commuter feels the same way as you do.”

What’s the worst part of commuting? Could flexible hours be the key? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.