NYC votes to end nearly 170-year-old horse carriage tradition as Trump blasts ban, drivers threaten lawsuit

The New York City Council voted Thursday to ban horse-drawn carriages by June 2028, moving to end a nearly 170-year tradition after the death of a teenager in Central Park and prompting threats of legal action from carriage drivers.

The council voted 40-7, with two abstentions, to approve Romanch’s Law, named after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, who died in June after being thrown from a runaway carriage in Central Park.

The legislation would phase out the industry by June 1, 2028, while requiring Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration to develop a transition program for more than 150 active carriage drivers and other workers. 

The plan would include job training, career counseling and employment referrals, although financial compensation is not guaranteed.

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A horse-drawn carriage takes passengers for a loop through Central Park Oct. 14, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

President Donald Trump weighed in on the decision Thursday, criticizing the move to eliminate one of New York City’s longtime tourist attractions.

“The Horse-drawn Carriage in New York City is a quintessential New York experience. So sad that, for political reasons, we will see it go!” he wrote on Truth Social.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU), which represents carriage industry workers, threatened to challenge the ban in federal court and seek a temporary restraining order. Union representatives accused City Council Speaker Julie Menin of failing to adequately consult drivers whose livelihoods are at stake.

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Second-generation horse carriage driver Frank Riccobono speaks outside New York City Hall Oct. 21, 2026, ahead of a vote to ban the industry. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Opponents argued the city had failed to establish a concrete financial plan for drivers and carriage owners. An effort to delay the phaseout until January 2030 failed before the final vote.

Menin defended the legislation Thursday, saying the council had strengthened worker protections and was prepared for a legal fight.

“We’re very confident in the legislation. That’s why we took the time to work over the summer on the legislation,” she said at a news conference.

“We made changes to legislation to beef up worker protection. We are very confident in defending this law and will vigorously defend it. I’ve already talked to Steve Banks about it and our team, and we will vigorously defend this law.”

Animal rights group PETA also celebrated the vote, pledging $50,000 to help carriage horses retire as the industry winds down.

The Central Park Conservancy celebrated the decision, arguing that horse-drawn carriages pose growing safety risks in a park that welcomes roughly 40 million visits annually.

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“In the modern era, carriages pose a serious — and even fatal — safety risk to park visitors, carriage drivers and the horses themselves. Our hearts break for the family of Romanch Mahajan, who stepped into a carriage earlier this summer and never thought he might lose his life,” the organization wrote in a press release.

The Conservancy said Mahajan’s death was the ninth carriage-related incident in just over a year.

The legislation also includes protections intended to prevent retired carriage horses from being sold for slaughter, while allowing owners to keep their animals.

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The bill now heads to Mamdani, who has expressed support for ending the industry. If signed, it would bring an end to a decades-long political battle over one of New York City’s most recognizable tourist attractions.