The NSW government's crackdown on fare evasion has led to 11,000 fines being issued a month - up from 8000.
Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian says the government did a fare evasion study in 2012 to guide strategies to address the problem.
"The study showed us that while the level of fare evasion in Sydney was in line with similar cities, there were some key areas for improvement and we have been addressing these over the past year," she said in a statement on Thursday.
"One of the most effective impacts on reducing fare evasion will be the introduction of the Opal card, which ensures customers pay automatically for the distance they travel."
The study found that riding buses beyond the fare paid and the misuse of concession tickets were leading forms of fare evasion and there had been huge improvements in the past year.
The introduction of 150 transport officers to check tickets had been successful, and had led to an increase in the number of customers buying the correct tickets.
"These officers are issuing up to 11,000 fines a month compared to the whole squad of former transit officers which averaged around 8000 per month."
