Some parents could be encouraged to drive their children to school rather than use a free school bus, minibus or taxi under a cost-cutting Council plan.

More details have emerged over Bradford Council’s plan to change how transport to school and college is paid for, in a bid to save up to £1.5 million per year.

The Council spent more than £11 million on school transport in 2011/12. Of this, nearly three quarters – £7.5 million – was spent on taxis and minibuses. The rest, £3.5 million, was spent on the school bus network. It costs the Council an average of £4,500 per year to send a child to school on a minibus and £6,500 to send a child to school by taxi.

Some parents who have a child eligible for free transport can choose instead to be paid 40 pence per mile to drive their child to school. But take-up is low, with only 40 parents, or three per cent of those eligible, currently opting for the scheme.

Council bosses hope by improving this offer, they can more than treble the number of parents opting for it.

They are considering four options: upping the mileage rate to 75 pence per mile, offering parents a set lump sum, offering them half the money it currently costs for their transport or making no change.

Parents would only be eligible for the scheme if the amount paid out to them was less than the cost of Council-provided transport. Education bosses believe the idea could save the Council up to £437,000 per year.

The proposal is one of a series of changes being considered and follows a public consultation. Other proposals include making parents pay for transport if they choose not to send their child to the nearest school.

The plan will be discussed at the next meeting of Bradford Council’s Executive on Tuesday.

Councillor Ralph Berry, executive member for children’s services, said: “The school population is rising at the same time as local authority budgets are being reduced, so the new policy needs to reflect this.”