New York City Council has voted to ban horse-drawn carriages from city streets and Central Park from June 2028, bringing an end to a long-standing tourist attraction and a traditional industry.
Forty of the council’s 51 members voted in favour of the measure on Thursday. The ban is also backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who announced plans to prohibit horse-drawn carriages earlier in October.
Fatal accident strengthened calls for ban
Support for the proposal grew after the death of 18-year-old Indian tourist Romanch Mahajan in June.
Mahajan fell from a carriage and died on 17 June after the horse pulling it reportedly bolted when the driver stepped away to take a photograph of the teenager’s family.
The incident intensified concerns about the safety of horse-drawn carriage rides in the city.
US President Donald Trump has voiced opposition to the ban, arguing that the carriages are part of New York’s history.
“When there is a car accident in the area, where there are many, they don’t ban cars from entering the Park. So why stop the carriages?” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It was a great tradition. Another piece of history gone. We will miss it!”
Transition plan and compensation under consideration
Under the proposal, New York City authorities must prepare a workforce transition plan by April, while also examining a compensation programme for carriage owners whose businesses will be affected.
The city will also provide assistance in determining the future of the horses. The proposal stipulates that the animals must not be sent to slaughter.
The measures aim to address the impact of the ban on workers, business owners and the horses involved in the industry.
Carriage workers threaten legal action
The Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage owners and drivers, has threatened to challenge the measure in court.
In a letter sent to New York City Council member Steve Banks a day before the vote, the union said it would seek a temporary injunction as soon as the proposal was approved.
The union argued that the measure would be unprecedented in the city’s history because it would prohibit a licensed profession.
It also claimed that the proposal would deprive carriage owners of any economically beneficial or productive use of their property.
The legal challenge could become the next stage in the dispute over the future of New York’s horse-drawn carriage industry.
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