Mamdani says NYC horse carriages ‘coming to an end’ after deal with speaker

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city’s horse carriages around Central Park are “coming to an end” after reaching a deal with the City Council speaker.Local government and outside groups have long strived to ban the popular tourist attraction that critics argue is harmful to horses’ well-being. Now, the New York City Council is the closest it has ever been to abolishing the 160-year-old tradition that has led to many horse deaths.“The horse carriage industry is coming to an end in New York City,” Mamdani said in a social media post. “Our administration will make sure workers and owners are protected and the horses are safe.” Politico reported that Mamdani and council Speaker Julie Menin had reached an agreement for the mayor’s administration to back legislation that would make operating horse-drawn carriages in the city illegal starting in June 2028.Menin said she will convene a focus group to address any and all areas needed in order to phase out the industry. She said legislation on the ban is set to be brought before the council next week, and with half of the council already supporting it and Mamdani’s backing, the bill is on track to pass.The city’s government started restricting when and where horse carriages could operate in the 1980s, and legislation to ban the industry was first announced in 2008. Since then, multiple efforts to phase out or ban horse carriages have failed.Eliminating the industry became more complicated when carriage operators joined the Transport Workers Union of America in 2020. As a major bloc that has been able to apply pressure, the union has thwarted several efforts by Mamdani’s predecessors to ban the attraction, as hundreds of carriage operators make a living operating the buggies.Mamdani, a socialist, has long championed organized labor and is likely to face pushback from the TWU. However, the updated legislation includes plans to create a transitional program for carriage operators. The union has pushed for increased safety regulations and has opposed any sweeping bans.MAMDANI ORDERS NYPD TO CONDUCT SWEEPING REVIEW OF USE-OF-FORCE POLICIESThe bill in consideration was originally named Ryder’s Law after a 14-year-old carriage horse who collapsed in 2022 and was later euthanized due to cancer. The legislation, which would have begun scaling back licenses for the occupation, was stalled in 2025.Ryder’s Law was reintroduced this year after another carriage horse collapsed and died in Central Park, and in a separate incident, tourist Romanch Mahajan, 18, died after falling off a carriage after the operator lost control. The bill was renamed Romanch’s Law, as he was the first person on record to die as a result of horse-drawn carriages.