Big Apple commuters got their first taste of the brave new world of transit cuts this week, finding fewer and more crowded options.

Crowded subways may become a more common sight thanks to MTA service cuts that were implemented Monday.The Straphangers Campaign, a citizens' watchdog group, dispatched scores of volunteers to monitor the situation. "In all, we found significant confusion and contradictory signs," Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the group, told the New York Post.

A pair of subway lines was eliminated, along with 37 bus routes. Other trains are running with fewer cars. Get the full list here.

The transit agency faces an $800 million deficit for multiple reasons, among them: less state aid; maintenance of free transportation passes for students; 4 percent annual raises for this year and last, awarded through an arbitration agreement won by the Transit Workers Union earlier this year.

In July, transit agency officials will begin meeting about possible fare hikes.  An increase of 7.5 percent next year is a figure that has been bandied about in the blogosphere.  However, the hike could be even higher.

"What are we going to eventually come down to?  A train or two an hour and a $10 fare? I'm just amazed that more people aren't screaming about this," MTA board member Andrew Albert told ABC News.