NYC bans horse-drawn carriages by 2028 after tourist's death; union vows to sue

New York City's horse-drawn carriage industry will shut down by June 1, 2028, after the City Council voted 40 to 7 — a veto-proof margin — on Thursday to pass Romanch's Law, legislation named for an 18-year-old Indian tourist killed in Central Park this past summer when a horse bolted and overturned his carriage. The family of Romanch Mahajan watched from the chamber as the vote was cast.

Within hours of the vote, the Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents roughly 150 horse-drawn carriage drivers, made clear it would not accept the result quietly. The union had already sent a letter to the city's law department the day before warning it would seek a temporary restraining order the moment the bill was signed.

We will see them in court. This bill is blatantly unconstitutional, providing nothing but a plan to draft a plan. There's nothing concrete for hundreds of workers, carriage owners and family members who face total economic devastation.— Alexander Kemp, Administrative Vice President, TWU Local 100

The legislation — formally Intro 943 — prohibits the city from issuing any new horse-drawn carriage licenses and phases out existing operations entirely by June 1, 2028. It bars the sale or transfer of carriage horses to slaughterhouses or to other carriage businesses, and requires the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to run a workforce development program for displaced drivers. A transition plan for workers and owners is due in 2027.

The death of Mahajan in June 2026 was the event that finally moved a decade of stalled politics. Investigators found that a horse got out of control, the carriage clipped the wheel of another carriage, and toppled — ejecting Mahajan and leaving his aunt and uncle, who were also in the carriage, to survive. The Central Park Conservancy, which operates the park and had pushed for a ban for years, noted in a statement that Mahajan's death 'was the ninth carriage-related incident in just over a year.' Previous mayors Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams had both sought a ban but could never assemble enough council votes.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin framed the vote in blunt terms before it was cast, arguing the carriages had become a safety risk in one of the world's most visited urban spaces.

They don't belong in an area that attracts 42 million people a year, pulling a 1,000-pound carriage in record heat.— Julie Menin, City Council Speaker

Animal welfare advocates pointed to a longer record of harm beyond the Mahajan accident. The Animal Legal Defense Fund noted that a horse named Deniz collapsed and died in summer heat, and that the legislation was originally introduced in 2022 after an elderly, emaciated horse named Ryder collapsed and died on 9th Avenue while pulling a carriage. A 2022 poll cited by the ALDF found 71 percent of New York City voters supported a ban.

Today is the start of a more humane and safe approach to New York tourism – for people and horses alike.— Kathleen Schatzmann, Strategic Legislative Affairs Manager, Animal Legal Defense Fund

The union's core objection is that the workforce transition language is too vague to be enforceable. TWU president John Samuelsen told Spectrum NY it is 'utterly false' that the bill includes real retraining plans, saying the language only states that 'consideration will be given' rather than committing to specific programs. Union members also warned that the ban threatens carriage medallions held by immigrant-run family businesses passed down through generations. Industry advocates say operators conduct more than 100,000 rides each year.

Carriage driver Conner McHugh, a second-generation operator, was among those who protested outside City Hall on Thursday — where demonstrators held signs and at least one person raised a bag of horse manure in protest. McHugh told Gothamist that Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who supported the ban, 'gets up on his podium and announces that he's just shutting us all down, putting us out of business, doesn't even talk to us.' Some drivers expressed particular frustration that Mamdani, who has positioned himself as a champion of working-class and union interests, sided against them.

Mamdani had signaled his position clearly before the vote, writing on X: '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.' He is expected to sign the bill. Former President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social before the vote, writing that he was 'so sad to see the beloved Central Park Horse-drawn Carriage Industry ending after over a Century, based largely on one tragic accident,' and comparing the ban unfavorably to the absence of any ban on cars after traffic accidents in the park.

New York City would not be the first American city to end the practice. Philadelphia, Chicago, Biloxi, and Key West have already banned horse-drawn carriages, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

The next immediate test is whether the TWU can win a temporary restraining order in federal court before Mayor Mamdani signs the bill. If the law survives legal challenge, the industry has until June 1, 2028, to wind down — and the city has until 2027 to produce a transition plan for the workers whose livelihoods depend on it.

Why it matters — The ban ends a more than century-old New York institution, puts roughly 150 unionized jobs and an unknown number of family-owned medallions at risk, and heads toward a federal court fight that could determine whether cities can phase out licensed industries without providing guaranteed replacement livelihoods.

Sources differ on Adequacy of the workforce transition provisions in Romanch's Law: The bill includes 'meaningful workforce support' and a responsible phaseout with job placement, training, counseling, and financial compensation. (aldf.org / abcnews.com) vs The transition language is vague — it says only that 'consideration will be given' and provides 'nothing concrete' for workers facing economic devastation. (theguardian.com / abcnews.com (TWU))

Reported by abcnews.com, reuters.com, theguardian.com, aldf.org