3 commuting challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic

A lot of things have changed during the pandemic and one of the biggest changes has been how people get to the office. As businesses are looking to reopen, they can help their employees feel safe and comfortable on their way there. 

Keep reading for the 3 challenges we’ve identified as those employers will have to tackle as they look to return to the office or skip right to head to our in-depth guide and download our guide to Reimagining the Daily Commute.

Changing daily routines

According to a recent Uber for Business study, 77% said they will be avoiding taking public transport for their daily commute. As businesses look to bring their staff back into cities and other metropolitan areas reliant on public transportation networks, they might be able to offer assistance to get their people safely back into the office. Traditional commute programmes might not fit the needs of the new workplace landscape, so it’s a good idea to start getting creative now.

Commuting has always been stressful. Long before COVID-19, many people would complain about long commutes sitting in never-ending traffic or sandwiched between other passengers. In fact, research suggests that 85% of people would accept a pay cut in exchange for lower commute times. 

Time spent commuting to work is dead time and people  are accumulating a lot of it. According to the Trades Union Congress, most of the British workforce spend over 220 hours getting to and from work*.

Does that time have to be wasted doing something that workers many find stressful? Perhaps companies can find new ways for their employees to commute where they aren’t doing the driving.

With more people relying on driving, we now face the challenge of how to manage all those vehicles. Many companies that were running shuttles before COVID-19 are having to look for ways to restart them safely or find alternative ways to get employees that last mile.

While shuttle buses help to bridge the gap, they present many of their own, expensive, challenges. Moreover, putting your employees into a single vehicle might not go over well with them. Looking to existing transportation services can help supplement your shuttles or aid in moving employees during off-peak hours.

Commuting is going to see some big changes as businesses return to the office. We might see employees looking for less-crowded options for their daily commutes. And their tolerance for long, stressful drives may be diminished.

As you’re looking to provide transportation offerings while considering your employees’ comfort and well-being, take a look at our guide to getting your people back to work, Reimagining the Daily Commute, for some ideas on how to help your workforce ease back into commuting.

*https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/annual-commuting-time-21-hours-compared-decade-ago-finds-tuc