Hundreds of security and marshalling officers are already working across the network to ensure adequate social distancing and prevent overcrowding on public transport.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance on Tuesday announced a special team of 80 workers would monitor 11,000 CCTV cameras inside the Rail Operations Centre at Alexandria.

Frontline transport workers will feed real time data to the centre, which was launched about a year ago, and through to smartphone applications which commuters can access.

Travellers can then assess from previous days' data when peak times occurred and whether they need to re-time or re-route their journey to work or school.

Mr Constance advised people to continue work from home arrangements where possible and to use common sense when catching trains or buses.

"At this stage we need people to not travel in the peak, we need people to continue to work from home where they can," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"We just need everybody to be very mindful that we're doing everything we can to keep people safe, but common sense has got to apply."

Mr Constance told travellers to wait for another bus or train if one appears overcrowded.

He also said 60 per cent fewer students were using the public transport system compared to this time last year.

"People are listening and that's very important as we work our way through the survival mode that we're all in, in terms of this pandemic," he said.

Australian Associated Press