Three bus drivers working for the State Transit Authority have been sent home from the same Sydney depot amid concerns surrounding coronavirus and contact with people who had been in affected areas.

One driver was sent home from the Brookvale depot on special pay on Wednesday after driving for five days after his wife returned from China and was required to self-isolate for the virus. Two other drivers at the northern beaches depot were also placed on special leave having picked up family who recently returned from China.

The situation has left drivers confused, the union said, but NSW Health said only people who had been to mainland China, or had been in contact with coronavirus cases needed to isolate.

Passengers wearing protective masks ride a bus in Macau, China, in the early morning of Wednesday, February 5. Credit:Bloomberg

Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary David Babineau said the decision to send home the driver whose wife returned from China was made by a depot manager doing "what he thought was right according to the guidelines they had been given at the time".