New figures from the Galactic Fact Office (GtFO) show that almost 35.6 trillion galactic workers have had their daily commute extended by at least four years.
The survey of 1.8 million commuters was commissioned in the wake of the galaxy's universal switch to hyperlane transport last week. It found that:
98% of commuters are now using hyperlane transport, compared to 45% before, with the remainder using isolated forms of natural wormholes (1%), artificial gateways (0.7%) or jump drives (0.3%).
Of those using hyperlane transport, average commute time increased by 2916%
Those working in military, scientific or construction jobs were most likely to be affected
94% of those surveyed stated they would not be keen to travel a distance of more than one system in one commute
Image: Commuting times via hyperlanes have increased significantly - it's now common to see heavy build-ups of space traffic around hyperlane entrances and exits.
Snur Nursnur, space transport minister for the Ubaric TechnoUnion, has called on the Galactic UN to do more to prevent "excessive" transit times, telling Xenonion:
"This has been a direct result of the galaxy switching to hyperlanes, although the problem does not lie with the hyperlanes themselves. This is actually caused by new traffic restrictions on ships traveling within systems at sub-light speeds. We can't ignore this - while four yearly commutes are perfectly feasible in the short term, over time it may start affecting commuters' well-being, and will probably even have an impact on work efficiency too."
Lengthier commutes are now becoming an accepted part of many xenos' routines. Xirk Zenmar, a power plant worker from the Urseni Confederated Worlds, told Xenonion;
"I live on Urseni Prime, but I visit several power plants across our core worlds. Before I could commute with ease, but now I spend at least 3 years a day traveling by hyperlane. It's a mild inconvenience."
Other commuters are going to great lengths to avoid long journeys. Jane Smith, a Blorg scientist, told us her trick:
"I'm often sent on far-flung projects to the outer reaches of the galaxy. My commute can take a whole lifetime, and sometimes before I even get to my destination I'll get called back to my homeworld to investigate something inane. I've found the easiest way to get round this is to simply dismantle my science ship, and somehow I auto-teleport back to Blorg Prime. I'm really not sure how this process works, but it's great and I can't fathom why it's not been introduced everywhere."
The Galactic UN has yet to comment on the survey from the GtFO.
