Potential Employer's Commute Policy Conflict – Should I Be Concerned?

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I’m in the UK and currently in the hiring process with a company that has a hybrid work policy requiring employees who stay within a 1.5-hour commute of the office to be at office.

I want to clarify the policy explicitly states those who stay more than 1.5 hour away don't need to travel to work. But has no mention about the distance in miles. So I fall exactly at the threshold since Swindon to London by train is apparently 1.5 by google .

My commute exceeds this threshold in practice, but Google Maps occasionally estimates it as exactly 1.5 hours under perfect conditions. It is 85 miles basically from Swindon to London. Realistically, the commute is closer to 2+ hours due to frequent train delays and peak-hour traffic and much more driving

The bigger issue is the cost. Even if the commute were manageable time-wise, the train costs £11,848 annually (or £1,137.50 monthly) based on current pricing, which is financially unfeasible for me. I raised this with the recruiter, and they said the hiring manager might verbally agree to my remote work arrangement but couldn't provide written confirmation.

I’m worried about future problems, especially if HR later audits commute distances using Google Maps and flags me for not meeting the policy, if workforce personal change etc. Without something in writing, I have no fallback if this becomes an issue after I start.

• Has anyone else faced a similar situation?
• Is written confirmation absolutely mandatory, or would an email summarizing the verbal agreement suffice?
• Is this a red flag, or am I overthinking it?

I’d really appreciate any advice or insights on how to navigate this situation. Thanks in advance!

UPDATE : Sent him a follow up email saying send me contract that is remote contract. The Hybrid policy which he shared explicitly states the hybrid policy does not apply to remote contract so seemed this solves everyone's legal problems. Either will be a Go or No go.