Mayor Adrian Fenty Wednesday met a congressional mandate to junk the District’s Depression-era taxicab zone-fare system in favor of the time and distance meters used in every other major U.S. city.

The long-awaited decision was based on a “clear majority” of resident support for meters in the city’s 7,500 mostly independent cabs, Fenty said. It is time for the zone system “to come to an end,” he said, in favor of one that ensures plainly visible fares, diminishes instances of overcharging and provides for a clearer relationship between the fare and distance traveled.