Commuting refusal on the rise among parents

Bosses may debate whether staff should return to the office, but local workers have voted with their feet and rejected the long commute.

New figures from Transport for NSW shows rail travel on the South Coast Line post Covid has dropped by 50 percent when compared to the pre-Covid average.

In 2019, the monthly average for rail commuting on the South Coast Line, which runs from Bomaderry to Sydney, was more than 800,000 trips as workers made the daily journey to the office. While figures show an increase in rail journeys throughout 2022 and early 2023, the post-Covid average is just above 400,000 monthly trips, 16 months after pandemic restrictions were lifted.

I play a role in the drop in those statistics. You can read more about my exit out of the traditional workplace here. As a parent, staying home just makes sense. Commuting to work is dead time. Now instead of chatting with co-workers, I can put on a load of washing. Instead of grabbing a coffee, I make my own while brushing my kids' hair (plus, I save money!).

I understand that there is an argument for getting out of the house, socialising and team bonding. However, at this point in my life, socialising is very low on my priority list. I have no social life with young bubs. And more importantly, I call BS on the team-bonding aspect. I have worked virtually with multiple public relations teams and our work has been extremely productive and creative, and I have established strong professional and personal relationships with my colleagues.

I know this debate is far from over. But I see no future where I am getting back on the train to commute to an office. How about you?