By: Margot Dragos
On Oct. 22, the New York City (NYC) City Council passed a bill officially banning all horse-drawn carriage operations throughout the city by June 1, 2028. Supported by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin, the bill was passed 40 to 7, giving an end date to the roughly 168-year Central Park tradition.
“The Council took swift action, hearing hours of testimony from carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates, City officials, and constituents,” Menin said in a statement. “The resulting plan establishes a deadline to phase out the industry while ensuring the development of a comprehensive workforce transition that will protect the livelihoods of the hardworking New Yorkers who depend on it.”
The ban comes after 18-year-old Indian tourist Romanch Mahajan was killed after falling from a horse carriage that went out of control in June. The bill was named Romanch’s Law in his honor.
“[The council’s vote] achieved justice today, not just for Romanch but for the human beings and the horses that have been injured over the last four decades in this city,” Sagar Chadha, a lawyer for Mahajan’s family, told The New York Times.
Similar incidents also led to a renewed interest in the bill, such as a horse collapsing and dying in Central Park last June. However, legislation to ban horse carriages dates back to 2007, after then-City Comptroller Bill Thompson released the first audit of the horse carriage industry, exposing risks of dehydration and heat exhaustion for horses. The current bill was formerly titled Ryder’s Law, named after a horse that collapsed in Hell’s Kitchen and suffered from cancer; the bill was drafted in 2024 before being reintroduced this year.
The bill also includes ways to humanely transition horses out of the workforce. Horse owners must certify by June 1, 2027, that their horses won’t be sent to a slaughterhouse or transferred to another horse and carriage business.
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), formed in 1866 in response to horse carriage abuse in NYC at the time, praised the bill. ASPCA CEO and President Matt Bershadker said the ban was “a lasting solution that protects horses, supports workers, and reflects the values of a modern city.”
While some have celebrated the bill, others have raised concerns. Critics worry that the bill does not protect over 150 workers like stablehands and carriage drivers. The bill includes a plan to transition workers through job referrals, career counseling, and educational opportunities, but it only says it will “consider” compensation for business owners.
Transport Workers Union Local 100 vowed to sue against this legislation.
“We will see them in court. This bill is blatantly unconstitutional, providing nothing but a plan to draft a plan,” said Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of Transport Workers Union Local 100. “There’s nothing concrete for hundreds of workers, carriage owners and family members who face total economic devastation.”
Sneha Choudhary, a spokeswoman for Mayor Mamdani, tells ABC News they “have been working closely with the City Council, union partners, carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates, and community leaders to deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all.” Mamdani also assured that the city government has a “civic responsibility to ensure that we are not leaving anybody out to dry.”
As unions prepared to sue, animal rights activists rejoiced. According to The New York Times, the Animal Legal Defense Fund declared, “Today is the start of a more humane and safe approach to New York tourism — for people and horses alike.”
In the coming months, the city will have to build an adequate workforce transition plan for workers affected by the ban and prepare for a lawsuit from Transport Workers Union Local 100. NYC is among other cities like Chicago and Philadelphia that have already banned horse-drawn carriages, and other tourist-filled cities may follow suit.