Cuts are being proposed in transporting hundreds of children from their homes to school.

Brighton and Hove Council is likely to overspend its home-to- school transport budget by £362,000 this year unless savings are made.

A report to an education meeting tomorrow recommends there should be consultation on where the axe should fall.

Nearly all the budget is spent on transporting pupils with special educational needs to school, mainly in hired vehicles such as taxis and minibuses.

Outgoings have risen steeply recently, mainly due to costs incurred by the operators such as higher fuel prices.

The council is to look at immediate savings such as making better use of hired buses rather than taxis and seeing whether pupils can use cheaper transport.

But more drastic savings being considered include:

Cutting the hired bus serving the two Coldean schools from Stanmer and Sussex University.

Scrapping the hired bus serving Falmer School from East Brighton and Woodingdean.

Cutting transport for primary school pupils whose parents cannot take them to school because of illness.

Stopping taxis taking pupils to and from the Pupil Referral Unit.

Removing taxi and minibus services for secondary pupils attending Downs Park and Uplands Schools.

Further savings are possible by removing transport for primary pupils attending Downs Park and Castledean Schools and the special primary units at Bevendean, Carden and West Blatchington schools.

Another saving could be stopping transport for some pupils who are having difficulty in travelling because of illness.

The report says there are disadvantages to many of these cuts including fears of pupils safety and attendance.

Education director David Hawker said: "There are a number of options for a reduction in the level of service that would lead to significant savings in the home-to-school transport budget.

"However each would have an impact on pupil access to school and in meeting established parental expectations."

Some of the savings would be substantial but Mr Hawker said: "These would generate concern about journey times, pupil safety, attendance and parental ability to accompany pupils."