Switching my 11 year old's school would make mornings easier, but he wants to stay

Our commute changed this year and the current school is now the long way round for everyone. There is an option much closer to the new route, and on paper it saves us close to an hour a day between drop, pickup and my site visits. The little one would also be easier to manage on the same route. My son is eleven and very clear that he does not want to move. His friends are there, he has been with the same group since the early classes, and he has only just settled into middle school. I have read enough about both sides to keep going back and forth, which is probably why I have not decided anything yet. For those who moved a child around this age for practical reasons, how did the first year actually go? And did you regret not doing it earlier, or wish you had waited for a natural break?