THE cost of school transport could rise by 25 per cent as the county council looks to reduce its £8.5m bill.

The authority has launched a public consultation into changes to its home-to-school transport.

Proposals include an increase in the contribution parents already make towards transport to faith schools, a rise in school bus fares and a cut in the number of people who qualify for free transport.

The council said it spent £8.5million on providing school transport, but half of that was ‘discretionary’ and not legally required.

As part of the plans, parent contributions of £380 for children attending a faith school which is not their nearest school could go up 25 per cent and increase year-on-year thereafter.

Other proposed changes include reviewing taxi provision for pupils who live in remote areas not served by school bus routes, removing a previous eligibility to free transport when parents move house further away from school during exam years, and increasing school bus fares by up to 60p per return journey, depending on length.

County Coun Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for children, young people and schools, said: “We are faced with making unprecedented savings in the region of £300m and we must look at all of our spending, especially on services that we have no legal requirement to provide.

“I know that no-one wants to either lose free transport or pay more for it, but unfortunately we are in the position of having to consult about these difficult decisions.

“For many years, the county council provided free transport when parents chose to send their children to a faith school which was further away than their nearest non-denominational school.

“In all of this, though, we remain committed to providing support to families on low income who are eligible. I would encourage parents and other interested parties to take part in the consultation.”

The consultation runs until November 29. Visit www.lancashire.gov.uk/haveyoursay or call 01772 531878 for more information.