Call-to-action: Stop whinging, Sydney. It’s unbecoming.

I started this campaign because I was just like every other Sydney Trains’ commuter. I really disliked our transport system, and having come home recently from Europe, the contrast between the two transport systems was overwhelming.

Every time there was a slight delay or trackwork, I complained about it on social media. This action has become so normal within society that I estimate a complaint will be scattered across your newsfeed once a week.

But why do we Sydney commuters complain so much about Sydney Trains? I’ve noticed the one correlation that exists amongst every negative post is this sense of community it illicites between the complainer and their friends. Because apparently, we all seem to ‘get’ where they’re coming from. We’ve all experienced the same delays, and the frustration that goes hand-in-hand with it.

But what do we get out of it besides a sense of entitlement?

It seems that every commuter expects our train system to be of world-class standard without having a full understanding of the facts. We are a first-world country after all, we must therefore deserve the best form of transportation. Anything besides the best is cause for complaint.

If commuters cared to look at the figures, then they will realise that most of the 2014-2015 transport budget will be invested into fixing the infrastructure of roads and building light rails for the Parramatta area. That leaves very little funding left for the train system unless the NSW government decides to sell more of the state’s electricity network.

We complain, but we don’t really know enough to warrant these complaints.

Ever since I launched this project to change the negative stigma that’s often attached to Sydney Trains, I’ve hoped to encourage other commuters to think about the positive experiences we’ve had during our commutes. There’s a reason Melbourne is considered the friendliest city in the world instead of Sydney … because we are a city of whingers.

Let’s change this! Let’s band together as a community and turn our negativity around. Yes, we’re living in a first-world city – and we should be grateful for it. Enough with the self-entitlement, Sydney!