The bus is a reading lifeline that costs about $4 a year per user.
Instead of cutting it, I reckon all you would need to do to save it would be show the door to one middle manager at Tauranga City Council. But no, the protected council servants instead want to cut something that allows many young and disadvantaged, old and infirm or housebound people to be able to read.
That is to open their minds, educate themselves or just plain keep their mental faculties in good order.
Doesn't sound much like an age-friendly city to me.
Nor does it seem to match the city's libraries levels of service policy from last year that included the principle libraries will be "accessible by providing a range of ways for our community to physically access library services including library buildings, online services, mobile-library services and home delivery."
And let's remember our city's support of reading and education is a national laughing stock with our current levels shamefully among the lowest in the country.
It's no wonder Tauranga is seen by more sophisticated cities as the country bumpkin among the big six metropolitan areas.
To show just how ridiculous the proposed book bus cut is if you divvy up its cost among 55,000 raterable properties it is less than $1.50 a year - 3 cents a week.
The picture is different, however, when it comes to the art bus that takes 9000 schoolkids to Tauranga Art Gallery.
The art bus is also facing the axe, according to gallery director Penelope Jackson, because the council won't inflation proof the $864,000 given to the art mausoleum each year.
It is a popular service and one can see why - it is free. It doesn't cost schools anything, it doesn't cost families, just how good is that? Although it isn't really free as it is being paid for by Tauranga ratepayers.
Surely parents could be asked for a gold-coin donation so their kids can have their eyes opened to the colour and majesty of art? It is not a lot of money to be paid once a year.
I'm sure one of the concerns for the gallery would be that by introducing a charge - even a pittance - the numbers of kids attending exhibitions would drop off.
Last year there were about 75,000 visitors to the gallery. Of those 9000 school children were free and you can expect a lot of the other patrons went in without donating for the experience.
The gallery needs to charge a fee for entry rather than just hoping for a gold coin to be handed over.
The argument against would be it could cut visitor numbers.
My response is what does it matter if they are paying nothing anyway. Surely 30,000 people paying $5 is better than 60,000 paying $1 or $2?
And if you were to look at the Tale of Two Buses you'd have to say a mobile library is essential, while a free arts bus is a nice to have.
Maybe it is time for the gallery to stand tall in the public arena and accept it needs to sacrifice a little for the greater good.
Maybe even donate a share of its public monies to the library bus and say: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done."
DIDN'T council throw the cat among the pigeons with a move to have by-laws officers - The Blue Ghosts - start ticketing people with bald tyres.
Oh the wailing that has erupted with people finding it disgusting and an outrage and how it will stop shoppers going in to the Central Business District.
What utter rubbish.
It will stop certain people going into the CBD, but only those who don't care if their cars are roadworthy or safe.
And the idea put forward that it will hurt people who can't afford new tyres is just so whacky it needs drug-testing.
If you can't afford legal tyres - then don't drive your car until you can fix the problem.
It comes down to safety, nothing else.
Bald tyres endanger other people as they lengthen your stopping time and make driving in slippery or wet conditions a lottery.
Before you whinge about checks on your tyres have a think how you'd feel if you couldn't stop near a school crossing and ploughed into a group of kids.
And if you want to moan about something outrageous - have a bleat about the appalling road safety attitude in the Bay and the number of unthinking or arrogant drivers who drive unsafe vehicles on our streets.
Richard Moore is an award-winning Western Bay journalist and photographer.
Richard@richardmoore.com
