Parents across South Craven are being urged to give their views on cost-cutting plans which could hit school transport services for fare-paying pupils.

North Yorkshire County Council needs to save £92m in the four years ending on March 31, 2015.

And it has warned that in the four-year period after that, it faces having to find further savings of around £77m.

Amongst its proposals is a reduction in bus subsidies.

It presently spends around £4.4m subsidising journeys which are not commercially viable, but is looking to slash that by about a quarter.

“In the past we have been able to subsidise buses for pupils who aren’t entitled to free transport but in the present financial climate we have to consider whether we can afford to continue this,” said County Councillor Chris Metcalfe, executive member for passenger transport.

“We recognise that in some cases there are wider implications and will take careful account of all the factors when making a final decision.”

Schools are currently distributing letters to parents outlining the county council’s review of subsidised transport arrangements and giving people the chance to respond.

A wider public consultation has also been launched, by the county council, on a range of money-saving plans.

A spokesman said: “In order to understand the detail of how this will affect families and schools, we have launched an open consultation exercise.

“The consultation documents explain how we propose to make changes and why a reduction is necessary, the council’s overall strategy to achieve the reduction and the impact of implementing the strategy on bus services for which the council currently pays.”

A final report is due to be produced in January.

For further information, visit northyorks.gov.uk.