The county council said 95% of local education authorities already charged for transporting students over the age of 16 to and from school or college.

Until now, North Yorkshire students have not had to pay but the council said it was reviewing its policy due to its "exceptionally difficult" budget.

A major consultation exercise is being carried out before a decision is made.

The average cost of home to school transport for local education authorities is �15 per student. North Yorkshire is the highest spending authority, paying more than �34 per student.

'Honour commitments'

About 5,000 students would be affected by a change in the council's policy.

Councillor John Watson said they knew introducing charges would be unpopular, but they were faced with having to make some very difficult decisions.

"We believe that considering the introduction of a charge is a responsible thing to do but we want to consult as widely as possible before we do so to try to determine what impact it might have," he said.

If charges are approved they would not be introduced until September, and even then it would only be for new students, Mr Watson added.