2m pledge to avoid work travel price rise

Around two million people plan to change the way they travel to work in the next year to avoid public transport fare rises, according to a new report today.

A survey of 3,000 people by job site reed.co.uk found that 7 per cent planned transport changes purely to avoid fare rises. An additional 6 per cent planned to move house or job over the next 12 months solely to gain an easier commute to work, the study found.

Workers said they hoped to cut their dependence on underground trains by a third, on mainline trains by half, and on buses or trams by as much as two-thirds.

Instead people planned to turn to cars, said the report.

In contrast, use of greener or healthier travel options is set to stay the same or even fall next year. Plans for commuting by bike, park-and-ride, or working at home are unchanged for the next 12 months, while levels of car-sharing, walking or running are predicted to go down.