Manchester commuters are most miserable, 'happiness' ranking reveals

By Mihaela Ivantcheva

Manchester commuters are being called the ‘unhappiest’ in the UK, due to higher fares relative to wages.

The Happiest Commuter Index, which compared 11 cities across the UK, was published by the transport charity Campaign for Better Transport.

London commuters are also likely to be unhappy due to high fares and overcrowding.

Richard Hebditch, Campaign for Better Transport’s campaigns director, said: “Surveys show that affordability is the most important issue for passengers, even more than punctuality or overcrowding, and our list shows just how much it affects their experience of rail travel.”

The report looked at how train services in 11 cities perform on affordability, overcrowding and punctuality.

It compared Cardiff, Newcastle, Nottingham, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Leicester, Sheffield, Bristol, London and Manchester, whereas Cardiff and Newcastle top the list with the happiest commuters.

The charity found that Cardiff commuters are the happiest thanks to more affordable fares and less overcrowding.

Mr Hebditch said: “Whilst passengers in Cardiff and Newcastle are likely to be happy with their commute, they may not be so happy if the cost of their season ticket starts to rise to levels seen elsewhere in the country, something we know the Government is seriously considering.

“With rail fares already sky high across the country, and the Government set to raise fares by three per cent above inflation next January, the chances of finding happiness on the daily commute are going to be slim.”

The ranking was published to coincide with the government launch of a Fares and Ticketing Review, which closed at the end of June and looked at the whole fares system.

The government has said it is considering discount fares for part-time workers, more smart and integrated ticketing and super-peak tickets to reduce demand on the busiest services.

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