Train operator Northern, which runs services through Ilkeston Railway Station, has coined the term ‘recremuter’ for its customers who now only commute to the office when there’s a recreational ‘add on’ to their day.
A company statement said that the average commuter now only travels into the office three days a week – and those days are increasingly being chosen based on non-work, recreational reasons, and said that, whether it is to nip in the pub after work, meet mates at the cinema, meet a friend for lunch or to indulge in some retail therapy, the office itself isn’t reason enough anymore.
Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern said: “We’ve seen the profile of our customers change post-pandemic. The traditional ‘Monday to Friday, nine to fiver’ still exist, but there are far fewer of them. More people are now commuting when they want and for reasons personal to them."
The company has invested in a new digital ticket infrastructure to help people travel more efficiently.