Is UTA a social service?

During the public hearings for the bus cuts, one of the UTA's people made an interesting statement when he said that UTA "was not a social service".

So what is it? Lets look at UTA's Mission Statement:

"Utah Transit Authority strengthens and connects communities enabling individuals to pursue a fuller life with greater ease and convenience by leading through partnering, planning, and wise investment of physical, economic, and human resources."

Looking at the mission statement of UTA gives the impression that it is indeed a social service.

Interesting note, if you consider how many areas that will be left without bus service or useless bus service, it kind of makes you question if the UTA is "enabling individuals to pursue a fuller life".

So where does a majority of UTA's revenue come from? Well looking at their budget it does appear that it comes from tax dollars. So in other words the UTA is not a self-reliant business. I guess you can get into all kinds of philosophical discussions on what makes something a true social service but looking at their mission statement and at their budget tells me that they are indeed a social service.

I am not saying if this is a bad thing or not. But when UTA representatives get up in front of people and tell them they are not a social service, they should get called on the carpet for it. Unless UTA wants to change the way it does business, it shouldn't try to be something its not or admit what it truly is.