The iconic but controversial horse-drawn carriage industry in New York City might finally come to an end as Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin reached a deal Tuesday to outlaw them.
If enacted, the bill would ban rides for hire starting June 1, 2028.
Other NYC mayors have contributed to this effort, but none facilitated a full ban. Mamdani could be the first to achieve the full support of the City Council to effectively ban horse-drawn carriages.
How prior mayors dealt with carriage controversies
When a horse collapsed from exhaustion in 2011, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg dismissed a call to ban the industry, citing the importance of maintaining a livelihood of New York City’s carriage drivers.
In 2013, former Mayor Bill de Blasio was the first mayor to announce plans for a full ban. Without support from the City Council, however, the effort proved fruitless.
Just months before the end of his mayorship, de Blasio’s successor, Eric Adams, attempted to end horse-drawn carriage operations, which also lost due to a lack of support from the City Council.
Why is Mamdani acting now?
An 18-year-old tourist from India, Romanch Mahajan, died after falling from a runaway carriage in July, which prompted “Romanch’s Law.”
The legislation will phase out the carriages while also providing a plan for protection of the workers whose livelihoods rely on the popular tourist activity. This time around, council members are expected to support the ban, after Menin publicly endorsed the law in July.
“The horse carriage industry is coming to an end in New York City. Our administration will make sure workers and owners are protected and the horses are safe,” Mamdani said in a statement on X on Tuesday.
What’s at stake for the industry?
The industry salary is estimated at $65,000 to $70,000 per year, with approximately 68 active licenses and just under 160 horses licensed at the end of last year, according to the City Council’s Committee on Health.
As of May 3, 2025, the maximum fare for a carriage ride is $72.22 for the first 20 minutes, plus $28.89 for each additional 10 minutes.
The 163-year-old industry brings tourism dollars into the city, although current estimates for just how much are hard to come by. (We’ve asked the NYC Horse & Carriage Alliance for more details.)
But it’s also yielded unsafe conditions for the horses and passengers. There have been 40 horse deaths between 1982 and 2026, the Manhattan borough president’s office found.
Central Park South in New York City circa 1965. [Photo: John Garetti/Getty Images]
As the city moves toward a ban, the mayor is taking workers into consideration in the next stages.
CarriageOn, a coalition of carriage operators, cites itself as a diverse workforce, with immigrants at the forefront of its operation. There are questions about the future of these carriage operators, which the Mamdani administration aims to address.
The mayor’s office has been working on a detailed plan for the transition of the workforce and industry, a spokesperson on Mamdani’s team told Fast Company.
Why does NYC have the horses in the first place?
Horse-drawn carriage rides for tourists date back to when Central Park opened in the 1800s, when carriages were already a mode of everyday transportation. Even then, people cited concerns about the horse-drawn vehicles.
One of the most outspoken organizations is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which was founded in New York City in 1866 amid a growing concern about the well-being of horses in the city.
Its original logo brandished an image of a carriage operator abusing a horse, while an angel hovered over the animal. Cruelty toward horses was a driving factor for the organization’s foundation, but horses also remained a vital part of transportation in the city.
What would a ban mean for the horses?
As the tradition phases out, the horses need somewhere to go.
“If Romanch’s Law is enacted, the ASPCA stands ready to support the City through this transition,” ASPCA president and CEO Matt Bershadker told Fast Company. The organization is ready to provide “grant funding or other resources if necessary to help ensure humane placement and a safe future for every horse in need of a home,” he added.
Speaker Menin announced on Wednesday that the full council will vote on October 22 on the legislation.
“We 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,” Sneha Choudhary, deputy press secretary for the mayor’s office, told Fast Company.
