Indeed, no one -- not transit riders, not politicians, not even MTA board members themselves seem to like the agency's 2009 budget, which includes not only a fare hike, but also major service cuts like the elimination of 26 bus routes.

"Clearly, this is a really terrible deal for riders," said Andrew Albert, NYC Transit Riders Council.

What there is less agreement about is who's to blame. Riders who turned out at Wednesday's MTA board meeting directed their anger at MTA management, with one man apparently out to imitate an Iraqi journalist's attempt on President Bush by trying to throw his shoe at MTA CEO Lee Sander.

But some board members said they've been unfairly villainized, when in fact, it's a lack of state funding that's forced the agency to go deep into debt, a big reason for the $1.2 billion budget deficit the MTA faces.

"If Albany is listening, I'm not riding this train with you. You need to step up to the plate, do what you're supposed to do, and stop trying to make us be the bad guy," said MTA Board Member Norman Seabrook.

While the MTA board passed the budget plan by a vote of 13-to-1, it's a budget the MTA hopes not to implement. With service cuts slated for the spring and what would be a 23 percent fare hike next summer, there is time for the state legislature to come to the rescue.

If lawmakers implement the recent recommendations of the Ravitch Commission, including tolls on the East River and Harlem River bridges and a new payroll tax, those service cuts could be restored and the fare hike scaled back.

"We are not just asking, we are urging, for the future of this transit system, for the future of the region, that Albany respond," said Sander.

"We did our job. Now it's up to them," said MTA Chairman Dale Hemmerdinger.

The MTA will begin holding a series of public hearings on the fare hikes in January, then will have to hold another board vote in March, with any increase taking effect in June.