FREE bus travel for pupils attending faith schools looks set to be scrapped from Septem-ber next year to save money.

education bosses are today expected to agree on the abolition of subsidised bus travel to and from religious schools in Hampshire.

Under current guidelines parents are assisted with transport costs to their children's school on denominational grounds.

However, parents who want to send their children to other non-catchment area schools for other reasons do not get any help with transport costs.

Hampshire's top education councillor, David Kirk, is expected to agree that a charge should be made for transport to denominational schools from next year.

However, the charges will only apply to new applicants - those already getting free transport under the current scheme will not be affected.

Parents on low incomes and families with more than one child will also receive concessions.

Councillor Kirk said: "It is clear that the majority of parents currently benefiting from the existing policy do not support a change in the county council's denominational transport policy and would wish to retain the existing policy.

"However, I have to balance this against the fairness of a policy that benefits some families but not others."

Normally pupils only receive subsidised or free travel if they attend their nearest or catchment area school.

During the last financial year (2004/05) a total of £564,332 was spent on transporting 1,374 pupils to faith schools - equivalent to £411 per pupil.

The council already has a predicted £300,000 overspend in its home-to-school travel budget this year.

Of the 25 schools receiving pupils for whom transport is supported by the county council, 22 are Roman Catholic, including St Anne's and St George's in South-ampton, and three are Anglican.

The decision comes at the end of a consultation with parents, head teachers, school governors, diocesan officials and neighbouring local authorities.

Chris Richardson, director of schools at the Portsmouth Roman Catholic diocese, said that Catholic schools were sited in agreement with the local education authority on the basis of free public transport.