The prospect of more taxis on the streets of Dublin brought a rare smile to the face of commuters long used to delays at ranks. It coincided with talk of doom and trading in cabs among disgruntled taxi-drivers. However, at two of Dublin's best known ranks - on College Green and O'Connell Street, where some of the longest queues arise at busy times - commuters were concerned that total deregulation might not be in their interest.
Ms Ann O'Flaherty from Ballymun said she thought it was a "good idea" to deregulate and said she had been looking for a taxi for over an hour. "I'm not going to work now, I'm too upset," she said, adding that the bus service was "just as bad - especially the 13".
Mr Desmond Graham from Donnycarney said he never learned to drive because for years he lived in London, which he found much easier to get around than Dublin.
He said, "I think any decision that provides more taxis is good but I know taxi-drivers have a gripe and I'm probably being selfish. If I was pressed I'd say opening it up completely is a bit much."
Barry, an IT consultant living on the South Circular Road, said there was a need for more taxis but it was not greater than the need for late-night DARTs and more Nitelinks from Dublin Bus.
"The demand for taxis is only at peak times and the onus should be on creating a good public transport system," he said, adding that taxi-drivers had "got it easy for a long time".
"My wife rang me crying when she heard it on the news," one Dublin taxi-driver said after the ruling was announced. He added that he had followed the hackney drivers' court case closely. "I half expected them to win."
The likelihood that competition in the taxi industry could intensify as a result of the ruling - which stated that the Government could not limit the number, only determine the quality of taxi vehicles - was raised by taxi-drivers yesterday.
"I cosied for 10 years before going out on my own four years ago. I borrowed up to my gills to buy the van. I got the chance to go out on my own and I took it. I'm a big boy, I knew the pitfalls. But if they do deregulate what have I got?" he asked.
"It's sad - I'll be getting out of the business and this van will be going back." He forecast other drivers may also trade in their wheelchair-accessible vehicles over the coming months. They cost up to £35,000.
One taxi-driver from the Liberties said he believed deregulation would put many drivers out of business.
"I don't want to go back on the labour. I've only been on the labour for four months in my whole life. I got into the business after being made redundant. I had to make the investment to keep myself in a job."
He stressed an average taxi-driver works 13 hours a day and six days a week. "We don't get holiday pay, the price of diesel is shooting up and we haven't had a fare increase since January 1998."
Another taxi-driver, who did not want to be named, was critical of the taxi federation leadership and said their policies had failed.
"There is the need for more taxis and I said it years ago. The taxi federation, the unions, they've shot themselves in the foot trying to keep it so tight.
"There would have been room for the 3,000 plates. The game would have gone dead for six to eight months, then it would have picked up again. We all know that. The taxi used to be a luxury but not any more."
He predicted that the industry would "go like New York" if there were no limitations on the number of taxis, with many drivers not knowing their way around the capital. "It will go downhill - mark my words."