Devon's senior education councillor has criticised plans which could abolish free school transport as 'the stealth tax of the century for the community'.

Currently, all pupils living more than three miles from school (or two miles if the child is under eight years old) are entitled to free transport.

South Dartmoor Community College, Ashburton, busses 90 per cent of its 1,650 pupils and head Ray Tarleton said that while any new out-of-hours services might need to attract a charge there should be none for getting pupils to and from school.

He said: 'The idea of charging parents for existing transport is unethical and immoral. If parents live in the countryside they're going to find it impossible to get their children to school other than by school transport. it's like taking us back to before the 1944 Education Act.'

But the draft School Transport Bill, which aims 'to enable some local authorities to pilot new arrangements for school transport and to reduce road congestion', plans to allow local education authorities to charge those who can afford to pay for the school bus service.

Cllr John Hart, the county's chief councillor for education, said: 'We don't have nearly enough information on this at the moment and we will wait to see the detail of the government's proposals.

'I am very aware of the impact this could have on a very rural county like Devon, where 20,000 pupils use school transport at a cost to the council tax payer of nearly £19 million every year. I believe it could end up as the stealth tax of the century for the rural community.'

Liberal Democrat spokesman Mike Treleaven asked: 'What has happened to education, education, education?

'Not only are students going to be hit by tuition fees when they go to university, there are now plans to penalise all those who live in the country.

'Charging people is the thin end of the wedge.

'we have a low wage economy and many parents just cannot afford to pay for school transport.'

The proposals have come in for criticism from teachers' groups including the National Association of Head Teachers, whose representative David Hart said: 'It will not only lead to a rural revolt by parents who are going to be worst affected, but there will be parents all round the country who will be asking themselves whether this seriously undermines free eduction.'

John Dunsford, of the Secondary Heads Association, added that the bill would 'adversely affect the truancy figures for children whose parents cannot afford the bus fares'.

Twenty LEAs nationwide could undertake pilot projects as a result of the bill, which could go before MPs later in this parliament.