Q&A on the News

Q: Why cut the Braves and Lakewood MARTA shuttles? I can see cutting money-losing routes, but surely the shuttles must make money. They are always crowded.

-- David George, Atlanta

A: MARTA says all cuts, including those, were based on fare and ridership data. This is the final year for the shuttles to Braves games and Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood, the MARTA board decided in late June. Many readers asked why MARTA doesn't just charge a surcharge for the Braves shuttle. The Braves shuttle is not as economical as it may seem partly because so many people use transfers for it. MARTA is no longer allowed to charge extra for the shuttle because private shuttle operators lobbied the U.S. Department of Transportation to prevent public transit agencies from charging for such "extra" services, according to MARTA. The private operators claimed that since transit agencies could charge the public a lower fare, it was unfair competition against private enterprise.

Q: How much is winning at Wimbledon worth, and do all participants receive cash awards?

-- Bill Alexander, Decatur

A: Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams each won a record $1.54 million for winning this year's Wimbledon singles titles. The first-place prize money was an increase of $231,348 from the 2009 total, which helped "offset the decrease in the value of the British pound against the dollar and the euro," The Associated Press reported. Total prize money was $21.1 million, an increase of 9.4 percent from last year, according to the AP. Every player is awarded money based on their success in the tournament, according to wimbledon.org.