UAE's 91% commuters use cars: Survey

Commuters across the United Arab Emirates prefer their cars than public transport despite huge investments in the sector, a new survey has said.

According to the survey, conducted by serviced offices company Regus, some 91 per cent of UAE residents prefer to use private transport to travel to work every day with 79 per cent using their cars and 12 percent going by taxi.

The survey results showed 9 per cent of UAE workers spent more than three hours a day commuting to and from work over a five-day working week.

That is better than the global average where 20 per cent of workers commute for more than three hours.

Data from the Dubai Statistics Centre show 136,862 Dubai residents, or more than 10 per cent of the population, worked away at least 28 kilometres from home.

On an average, the survey revealed UAE workers spent 4 per cent of their annual salaries on commuting, above the 3.3 per average percent global spend.

"With 2010's second rise in petrol costs taking effect in July and as traffic congestion in cities increases, it is disappointing to see that too many workers are still jamming the roads in the rush hour when they could be spending their time more enjoyably or more productively elsewhere," said Mark Dixon, the chief executive of Regus.

About 25 per cent of those surveyed said a lengthy, stressful commute to work was one of the factors that might compel them to quit their job.