Nobody wants to spend their commute crammed into a train with someone's elbow in their face, but driving to work can be pricey and inefficent. French ride-hailing start-up BlaBlaCar's new offering, BlaBlaLines, is hoping to find the right balance with crowdsourced carpooling.

A YouGov poll has found that hard benefits are more important for French workers than soft ones. A full 71% said that the general atmosphere at work was the most important thing, followed closely by job satisfaction and pay. Suprisingly however, workplace relationships figure lowly on the list.

With the average UK commute lasting 38 minutes, communications that provide convenience, entertainment or a simple distraction can make the time spent travelling feel shorter. But what do people read, play or buy going from A to B? And how are brands engaging this captive audience?

As people grow increasingly anxious about always being ‘on’, they’re seeking new ways to relax. Walkonomics is an app that encourages users to take longer, more beautiful paths. But if 70% of people feel short on time, will they really want to spend precious minutes on taking the scenic route?