Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Julie Menin, the Council speaker, have agreed to back legislation that would end horse-drawn carriage rides in New York City, including the long-running operations in Central Park. Politico reported the deal on Tuesday, and one person close to the mayor’s office said a deal had been reached, The Guardian reported. Under the proposal, the ban would take effect in June 2028. The Council is scheduled to vote on the bill on Oct. 22.
Mamdani wrote on X that the carriage industry was “coming to an end” in the city. He said his administration would make sure workers and owners were protected and that the horses would be safe. City Hall spokesperson Sneha Choudhary said in a statement that the administration had worked with the Council, union partners, carriage drivers and animal welfare advocates to deliver what she called a “just transition.”
What the bill would require
The measure, known as Romanch’s Law, would require city agencies to develop a workforce transition plan by April 1, 2027, Fox News reported. The plan would address placing workers in new jobs, career advice, training and referrals to transportation and tourism positions. The bill would also require the city to consider compensating carriage owners, but it does not guarantee any payouts, according to Fox News.
The legislation would also create a program to help drivers find new homes for their horses humanely, the Guardian reported. Under that provision, horses could not be sold or transported for slaughter, or sold to carriage operators elsewhere.
Background to the ban
The push for a ban gained momentum over the summer after Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist from India, died in June. Fox News reported that the carriage bolted out of control, struck another carriage and overturned in the park. Council members gave the proposal Mahajan’s name and held a full day of hearings on it, Gothamist reported.
The Central Park Conservancy has said the fatal crash was one of eight horse incidents in roughly 13 months, according to Fox News. The Guardian reported that multiple horses have died since 2020, some collapsing during carriage rides.
Divided reactions and open questions
The Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage drivers, has said the bill offers little for those who would lose their jobs. John Samuelsen, the union’s international president, told Politico that the measure gives “no meaningful economic relief for workers.” He also accused Menin of using the death of a tourist to advance the ban, Fox News reported.
Animal welfare advocates welcomed the agreement. Edita Birnkrant, who leads NYCLASS, an animal rights group, described the decision as a long-fought win, Gothamist reported. The Central Park Conservancy also backed the deal and cited public safety, Fox News reported.
Mamdani had previously signaled support for a ban but raised concerns that the bill as written did not include sufficient worker protections, the Guardian reported. Fox News Digital said Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is not yet clear whether Mamdani will sign the bill as written or push for changes. Whether the Council passes it on Oct. 22 as scheduled, and how the worker transition plan and compensation provisions take shape, remains to be seen. The carriages’ future in Central Park now depends on that vote and on the mayor’s next move.
