Sydney commuter’s fury over unspoken train rule ‘everyone is suddenly breaking’ in 2026: ‘Doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world’

A Sydney commuter has called out poor etiquette on local public transport – and it’s struck a chord with fellow train passengers.

‘Why don’t Sydneysiders WAIT for people to get off the train first?!’ lamented one traveller in a recent post shared to an online discussion forum.

‘You’d swear Sydney has only recently gotten a train system in place, given the complete lack of train etiquette or common sense.

‘Do people in Sydney not understand that you have to WAIT for people to disembark before you try to ram yourself onto the train?’

The train rider added that they had witnessed ‘so much aggression from the people getting on the train’ and couldn’t understand how these people ‘legitimately think they’re in the right and everybody else needs to move out of their way’.

‘Never experienced this anywhere else in the world, it’s so bizarre,’ they concluded.

The public transport tirade instantly resonated with hundreds of fellow Sydney train regulars, with many responses agreeing they too had noticed a decline in what used to be common-sense etiquette when boarding and alighting.

‘Thank god someone else said it,’ read one reply.

‘Does my head in,’ added another.

‘Only been in Sydney 3 weeks and have noticed this big time, it’s so rude,’ one visitor observed.

‘I’m so relieved this is the general consensus. I genuinely was starting to worry the rules were different in Sydney and I never got the memo,’ another chimed in.

Several replies felt this behaviour on Sydney trains had become increasingly prevalent in recent years.

‘When I started catching the train, I used to be impressed at how people would step aside and wait for other passengers to alight,’ one reflected. ‘But now honestly it feels different, Sydney is getting more uncivilised.’

Another agreed: ‘Let me tell you, people absolutely used to do this as common etiquette and with courtesy, and not that long ago. I guess those days are done.’

‘It’s disgusting, I can tell you that much. Everyone has lost all common sense and awareness, it’s unbelievable! I pretty much experience it daily,’ a third agreed.

One parent replied: ‘I’ve noticed that too and I’ve always told my kid to wait for other people to get off the train before getting on.’

Reflecting further, several responses believed this behaviour had worsened since the COVID pandemic, and felt it had affected Sydneysiders’ ability to follow societal conventions and practice common courtesy on public transport.

‘People lost a lot of social skills during COVID… If people keep ignoring it then it will keep happening. We need more people to call this stuff out.’

‘People have become far more selfish and self-involved in the last several years. Call them out, I always do. I couldn’t care less who gives me a dirty look,’ read one reply.

One person sarcastically noted that too many people now have ‘main character’ energy – believing themselves to be superior and having a complete lack of awareness for others.

This rising concern around public transport etiquette and courteous behaviour even prompted a recent NSW Transport campaign, called ‘The Creatures of Transport’.

‘Public transport is for all of us. When we are kind and thoughtful, the ride is better for everyone,’ explains the NSW Transport campaign website.

One such ‘creature’ called out in the campaign is ‘The Blocker’, referring to someone who ‘stands near the doorway and won’t move, making it hard for others to get on and off.’

Another ‘travel tip’ suggested by NSW Transport is to always ‘make room’ when people board and alight the train.

‘Allow people to board and exit without obstruction,’ they explain.

Their campaign website reiterates: ‘Public transport is for everyone. Being considerate is simple, but it makes a world of difference. Let’s make every journey better by offering a seat, moving to make room, and being kind to others.’

Recent replies to the online Reddit discussion saw many Sydneysiders declare they’re no longer willing to stomach people barging onto trains without waiting for others to alight first – and shared instances when they have taken matters into their own hands.

‘I tell ’em to get out of the way – their faces are just priceless,’ said one person.

‘I once lost it and told someone “Don’t you understand you have to wait for people to get off first?!” They looked at me like I was wrong,’ another recalled.

‘Love it when people block me from getting out. It’s such great stress relief when I push through them like a bowling ball,’ another said.

Someone else with a similar tactic said: ‘I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s been annoyed by this lately as well! I’ve resorted to just walking directly into them if they don’t get out of the way.’

One person explained how they take a much more passive approach: ‘What I usually do is just stand there and wait until the person moves away.’

A minority of responses, however, tried to justify pushing their way onto the train when the doors open,  explaining that some passengers simply take too long to alight.

‘The people getting off the train don’t try and get off until ten seconds after the doors open. Be ready to exit at your stop,’ one person explained.

‘People take forever to get off, like they’ve never stepped off a train before – and you start to worry the train is going to leave without you,’ another agreed.

However, several replies were quick to shut this theory down.

‘Tip: The train won’t leave without you because the human who closes the door also checks to see that everyone has finished boarding. That’s what the whistles are indicating.’

‘I’m always ready at the doors before the train even pulls into the station, and the doors have barely opened and people are jumping on. The level of entitlement some people have is actually staggering.’

Etiquette expert Jo Hayes told Daily Mail that ‘Australians definitely need to swot up on basic public transport etiquette.’

She deemed ‘failing to wait for commuters to disembark’ a ‘disrespectful and inconsiderate behaviour’.

‘It makes the whole process unpleasant, not to mention impractical,’ Jo added. ‘It simply makes sense from a smooth process perspective to wait back or step back, let commuters disembark, then proceed to board the train.’

One respondent to the recent online discussion reflected that if we all made a greater effort to comply with the common sense etiquette of public transport, it would ultimately make for a more pleasant ride.

‘Make an effort to demonstrate the correct behaviour – it’s likely no one will notice or care but it’s better than nothing.’