NEW YORK
The horse-drawn carriages that have crisscrossed Central Park for more than 150 years are expected to soon be banned from New York City, ending an iconic tradition beloved by tourists but long fought by animal welfare advocates.
For carriage drivers, what happens next is unclear.
“No one can come up with a proper answer because there isn’t one,” said Alexus Lawson, a 28-year-old horse-drawn carriage driver from Queens who grew up around horses and worked as a riding instructor. Now she worries about what would happen to 7-year-old Starlight and her other horses. “Without work, how can I take care of my horses?
The New York City Council is expected to pass a bill on Thursday that would ban horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, pulling back the reins after the death of a teenage tourist last spring sparked the latest call to end horse-drawn carriage rides after decades of opposition from activists.
But the question that keeps coming up – what to do with drivers whose jobs would be lost – remains largely unanswered.
The legislation requires Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office to develop a plan by next April to help the remaining more than 150 drivers find other employment. This would include referrals to job offers in the city’s transit, hospitality and taxi sectors, as well as career guidance. It would also anticipate the administration considering some form of compensation for industry workers.
City Hall is working on a detailed plan for the workforce transition and has begun discussions about possible compensation, a spokesperson for the mayor said. And Mamdani himself said the government had “a civic responsibility to ensure we leave no one behind.”
Medet Fidan, a former taxi driver who traded his steering wheel for a set of reins after ride-hailing apps upended the taxi industry, said he felt like he was being targeted.
“I think the city is leaving us a big mess,” said Fidan, 56, who has driven a horse-drawn carriage for 15 years. “We’re going to lose our businesses, we’re going to lose our jobs, we’re going to lose our livelihoods.”
Council President Julie Menin “will remain engaged in the transition process,” a spokesperson said, adding that the legislation seeks to answer the long-standing question of the fate of displaced horse-drawn carriage drivers by setting a firm deadline for City Hall to act.
The union representing drivers has vowed to file a legal challenge “as soon as the ink dries” against the legislation.
Mamdani’s two immediate predecessors as mayor had both called for an end to the industry, but neither succeeded.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned to end the rides on his first day in office, but his efforts failed due to union backlash and a major media blitz involving actor Liam Neeson. Eric Adams, the mayor just before Mamdani, initiated a ban at the end of his term, but the proposal went nowhere.
The latest surge began in June after an 18-year-old Indian tourist, Romanch Mahajan, died after jumping from a fleeing car during a ride. This appears to be the first death involving a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park since the rides began.
Mahajan’s family personally called on the city to end the rides, tearfully testifying that they believed the rides were safe. His father, Deepak Mahajan, told lawmakers that his son jumped out of the car to help his mother after she was thrown from her seat after the horse suddenly bolted.
Car drivers have expressed sympathy for Mahajan and his family, but say they are being unfairly targeted because of a single accident.
“It does nothing for alternative employment, for the continuity of our business,” said Christina Hansen, a longtime car driver and industry spokesperson. “Who will pay my rent while I look for a job? »
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