The group that calls itself the Coalition of Taxicab Drivers, Associations and Companies has created an online petition to gather support from those in favor of switching all D.C. taxicabs to the so-called “zone meters”, as opposed to the time and distance meters Mayor Adrian Fenty has ordered will soon be mandatory. A judge recently pushed back the date by which the time and distance meters need to be in place to May 1, as opposed to the original date of April 6.

“Passengers want meters installed in D.C. taxis and they’re telling us they want the meters to be based on the existing zone system,” said Solomon Tesfaye with the Coalition in a statement. “Passengers want accuracy, predictability, to be treated fairly and they want taxis readily available in all areas of the city.”

We guess the success or failure of this “Say Yes to Zone Meters” campaign will tell whether Tefaye is right about what D.C.’s taxi passengers really want. A survey conducted by the D.C. Taxicab Commission in August 2007 indicated a wide majority of frequent riders would prefer a time and distance meter system. The pro-zone meter online petition from the Coalition was just announced via an email to the press this afternoon. At the time this post was published, the petition had one total signature.