DEVON County Council is consulting on how to reduce its public transport budget in the coming financial year.

The authority has already saved £100 million over the past four years, and with the prospect of further reductions in settlement from central Government, the County Council is continuing its Tough Choices consultation on proposals to save a further £110 million by 2017.

Devon County Council's Public Transport service needs to make savings of just over £760,000 during 2014/15.

Cllr Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highway management, said: 'A lot of work has gone into cutting more than £650,000 from the budget for next year but further savings are needed.

'It's clear that difficult decisions have to be taken and we want people to let us know what they think of what is being put forward and if they can suggest any alternatives.

'The county council is considering a number of options to change the way services are provided and increasing charges for services, rather than removing them entirely.'

Around £655,500 – 86% – has already been achieved mainly through efficiencies and stability in the National Bus Pass scheme, due to management of the scheme having been transferred from Districts to the County Council, with the issuing of smartcard passes and reimbursement paid to bus companies.

There are no proposals for withdrawing bus routes. Among proposals which the County Council is putting forward to reduce the public transport budget by a further £100,000 are:

• If the National Bus Pass scheme could no longer be used on special bus services to Exeter Chiefs' Sandy Park rugby ground, park and ride services to the RD&E and County Hall, public bus services that are mainly used for schoolchildren, and services including those run mainly for tourists (such as the Haytor Hopper), it could save up to £47,500.

• It is proposed that free travel with the National Bus Pass would only be allowed before 9.30am when there is no other bus before 11.30am instead of 11am as it currently stands. This would save £15,000 a year. Free travel would still be permitted for National Bus Pass holders where the only bus of the day goes before 9.30am.

• The current charge for replacing a lost buss pass is £8, and nearly 2,000 lost passes are replaced every year. Increasing this to £10, which is in line with the cost of administering replacement passes and in line with charges of many other councils, would save £4,000 a year.

l Students over the age of sixteen are not automatically entitled to free transport to college. Eligible students can buy a travel pass from the County Council for £500 a year, which covers some of the cost of travelling to college. This pass only costs £396 per college year in northern Devon (by paying direct on Devon County Council funded bus services). It is proposed that everyone should pay £500 on subsidised bus services, which could save £40,000.

Comments need to be made by January 29.

To view the proposals in more detail and to make a comment, visit the county council's website at http://new.devon.gov.uk/publictransportbudget/">http://new.devon.gov.uk/publictransportbudget/