A FRESH review into the cost of home-to-school transport is being drawn up - even though a shelved report showed how to save £30 million.
The Department of Education is looking at ways to make transport financially sustainable over the long term.
Nearly one third of the school population qualifies for assistance at a cost of more than £100m each year.
A briefing paper this week suggested means-testing was a way to raise revenue and ease huge financial pressures.
An almost identical recommendation was put forward in an independent review commissioned by former education minister John O'Dowd.
It was shelved, however, with the Department of Education saying in late 2015 there was not enough time to make changes due to the assembly mandate nearing its end.
The recommendations were not put out for consultation.
Asked what it had done with the independent report, the department said it was undertaking another review, which will take on board the already published findings.
The last review was thorough. The panel met more than 80 organisations including trade unions, schools, parents' representatives, rural and community groups, and transport providers.
The call for evidence generated more than 1,000 responses. The panel also met more than 200 pupils from primary, post-primary, special schools, and young people at the Northern Ireland Youth Forum, youth centres and in alternative education provision.
To gain insight into transport policies and practice, including the provision of free transport for all, concessionary fare schemes, parental payment and changes to entitlement policies, the panel met transport and education organisations in the Republic, Wales and rural and urban areas of England.
It concluded that "transport assistance be provided to the nearest school only (or to the nearest Irish medium school/unit or integrated school) and the expected savings of £26m per annum".
The department last night said it was now "undertaking a review of the home to school transport policy which will take account of the current budgetary circumstances and the need to ensure that the provision of home to school transport is financially sustainable over the long term".
"Recommendations arising from the review will be subject to public consultation," a spokeswoman said.
The Education Authority said it had "implemented a number of the operational recommendations which were set out in the independent review of transport".
"We will fully support the work of the Department of Education in taking forward their review of home to school transport policy," a spokeswoman added.
