Facing a ban on horse-drawn carriages, Central Park’s drivers fear for their future
New York City Sets Course to End Central Park Horse-Carriage Rides
Goldlaner.com – New York City is preparing to close the chapter on horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park, a tradition that has been part of the park’s landscape for more than 150 years. The City Council approved legislation Thursday requiring the industry to end by June 2028, a decision that follows the death of an 18-year-old tourist last spring and years of arguments over animal welfare, public safety and the future of carriage workers.
For visitors, the carriages have long represented a distinctive Central Park experience. For the more than 150 drivers still working in the trade, however, the ban brings a far more immediate question: how they will support themselves and care for the horses that have sustained their businesses.
A deadline for a workforce transition
The new law directs Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration to produce a transition plan by next April. The plan is expected to include career counseling and job referrals in city transit, hospitality and taxi-related fields. It also leaves room for the city to consider compensation for workers affected by the shutdown.
A City Hall spokesperson said the administration has begun discussing possible compensation while developing a more detailed workforce strategy. Mamdani has said the city has an obligation to avoid abandoning people whose livelihoods will disappear under the ban.
“No one can come up with an appropriate answer because there is none,”
Alexus Lawson, a 28-year-old carriage driver from Queens, said the uncertainty extends beyond employment. Lawson grew up around horses and has also worked as a riding instructor. She worries about the future of Starlight, a 7-year-old horse, and the other animals in her care.
“Without a job, how can I take care of my horses?”
The industry’s drivers have argued that retraining alone does not resolve the financial disruption of losing established small businesses. Medet Fidan, 56, previously drove a taxi before ride-hailing services reshaped that industry. He moved into carriage work after leaving the cab business and now fears another abrupt upheaval.
“I think the city is leaving us a big mess,”
“We’re going to lose our businesses, we’re going to lose our jobs, we’re going to lose our livelihoods.”
A fatal accident renews the debate
The current push for a ban accelerated after Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist from India, died in June. Mahajan jumped from a runaway carriage during a ride in Central Park. His death appeared to be the first fatal incident connected to the park’s carriage rides since the service began.
Mahajan’s family has urged city officials to end the rides, describing their belief that the attraction was safe before the tragedy. At a Thursday rally with lawmakers and animal welfare advocates, his uncle, Gaurav Mahajan, said the family’s grief had become a drive for reform.
“The hour of justice has finally arrived,”
“We’re turning our shattering loss into an unbreakable shield of kindness for the city. For months, our family hasn’t been allowed to just grieve,”
“We’ve had to fight. We’ve had to channel our devastating sorrow into a war for change.”
Supporters of the legislation say the ban reflects the practical reality of Central Park as a crowded public space shared by pedestrians, cyclists, dog walkers and tourists. Council Speaker Julie Menin said the measure establishes a firm date for City Hall to answer the unresolved issue of worker protections, while also ending the use of horses in that environment.
“These workers deserve to be protected,”
A spokesperson for Menin said she will remain involved in the transition process. That focus is central to the legislation’s political challenge: ending an industry has proved easier to propose than to implement in a way that addresses workers’ income, business investments and responsibility for their animals.
Legal fight expected
Carriage drivers’ union leaders have already indicated they will challenge the measure in court as soon as it becomes law. The industry has expressed sympathy for Mahajan’s relatives while maintaining that one accident should not determine the fate of every operator and horse.
Christina Hansen, a longtime driver and industry spokesperson, said workers need more than broad references to alternative employment. They need practical support during the period between losing carriage income and finding stable replacement work.
“It does nothing for alternate employment, for the continuation of our businesses,”
“Who’s going to pay my rent while I’m looking for a job?”
The controversy has drawn attention from national political figures as well. President Donald Trump, whose Trump Tower stands near Central Park, called the rides “a quintessential New York experience” and lamented the end of what he described as a historic tradition.
“It was a Great Tradition. Another piece of History that’s gone. It will be missed!”
Earlier efforts failed
Previous mayors tried and failed to bring the carriage industry to an end. Bill de Blasio campaigned on eliminating the rides early in his administration, but the effort faded after resistance from unions and a prominent public campaign involving actor Liam Neeson. Eric Adams later raised the possibility of a ban near the end of his mayoralty, but his proposal did not advance.
The 2028 deadline gives the city nearly two years to work through the details that stalled earlier attempts. That period will test whether officials can create credible pathways for drivers while resolving questions about the horses and the businesses that have operated alongside Central Park for generations.
For now, the vote marks a decisive shift in a debate that has endured for decades. The carriages may remain on the park’s roads until the deadline, but the city’s focus has turned to what follows: new work for drivers, a plan for their horses and a Central Park future without one of its most recognizable attractions.
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