New York City council votes to advance bill that would ban horse-drawn carriages

The Associated Press

· Posted: Oct 22, 2026 5:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 15 minutes ago

New York City council passed a bill Thursday that would ban horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, pulling back the reins after the death of a teenage tourist last spring.

The legislation requires Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office to develop a plan by next April to help the more than 150 remaining drivers and the rest of the industry find other jobs, though its provisions are vague and doesn't set clear benchmarks for displaced workers.

Instead, it requires city hall to come up with a program that includes job referrals, career counselling and educational opportunities. It also allows the administration to consider some form of compensation for industry workers.

The mayor's office has been working on a workforce transition program and has started discussions on potential compensation, according to city hall.

"The mayor will sign this bill, and the Mamdani administration is working every day to ensure we can do so while providing the strongest possible protections for the owners and workers in this industry," a spokesperson for the mayor said after the council's vote.

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The union representing carriage drivers had vowed to file a legal challenge "the minute the ink dries" on the legislation.

The latest push began in June after an 18-year-old Indian tourist, Romanch Mahajan, died after jumping from a runaway carriage during a ride. His death appeared to be the first fatality involving a horse carriage in Central Park since the rides began.

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Mahajan's family has personally appealed to the city to end the rides, offering tearful testimony that they thought the rides were safe. His uncle, Gaurav Mahajan, praised the proposal during a rally Thursday, saying "the hour of justice has finally arrived," as he stood beside local lawmakers and animal welfare activists.

"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," he said. "We've had to fight. We've had to channel our devastating sorrow into a war for change."

Carriage drivers have expressed sympathy for Mahajan and his family but argue they are being unfairly targeted because of a single accident.

"It does nothing for alternate employment, for the continuation of our businesses," said Christina Hansen, a longtime carriage driver and industry spokesperson. "Who's going to pay my rent while I'm looking for a job?"