City legislators voted 40-7 to end Central Park’s century-and-a-half-old horse carriage trade by June 1, 2028. Named Romanch’s Law after a tourist killed in a June collision, the ban promises worker transition plans and animal placements while drawing criticism from Donald Trump.
Council Approves Carriage Ban in a 40-7 Vote
Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of TWU Local 100, called the measure blatantly unconstitutional and announced plans to challenge the city in federal court as the New York City Council approved Romanch’s Law on October 22, 2026, with a veto-proof 40-7 majority and two abstentions, cementing an agreement reached between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Council Speaker Julie Menin.
The measure is named in memory of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, an Indian tourist who died last June after being thrown from a runaway carriage while visiting the city with his family. Before Mahajan’s death, an earlier iteration of the bill was known as Ryder’s Law, named for a horse that collapsed on a Midtown street in 2022.
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.
The vote drew immediate pushback from operators and labor representatives who argue the legislation destroys generational businesses.
Drivers Face Loss of Livelihoods and Unions Threaten Court
Conor McHugh, an immigrant from County Leitrim who arrived in the United States in May 1986 and later became co-owner of Clinton Park Stables, described putting his entire life savings into the trade. Another veteran operator, 58-year-old County Sligo native Thomas Quinn, argued that operators were being unfairly treated as scapegoats for public safety concerns.
Broken Promises, No Worker ProtectionsIf the NYC Council bans horse-carriage rides, hundreds of blue-collar drivers, owners, and their family members will be financially ruined and emotionally devastated. Jobs that now enable workers to put food on the table, pay the rent, and… pic.twitter.com/IVfnuFH2fI
This is disgraceful political opportunism, and Zohran should not simply go along with it, particularly when immigrant families’ livelihoods are being destroyed. This entire situation is reprehensible.
John Samuelsen, international president of the Transport Workers Union, via The Guardian
Under the approved bill, the city must deliver a support plan for roughly 150 active drivers and stable workers by April 1, 2027. While the framework provides career counseling and job referrals in sectors like transit and hospitality, direct financial compensation for medallion and carriage owners remains optional for the city to consider rather than guaranteed.
Sanctuaries Prepare for the Park’s 160 Horses
The legislation mandates a humane disposition for the roughly 160 horses currently working the Central Park loop, strictly forbidding their sale for slaughter or transfer to carriage operations elsewhere. Animal rights organizations celebrated the vote.
Allison Bowling of the Red Feather Equine Sanctuary in North Carolina explained that equine rescues allow animals to spend their days in green fields rather than hauling heavy carriages through Midtown traffic.
Trump Criticizes the Council Decision
Polling conducted by the Central Park Conservancy showed public support, with 68 percent of respondents backing a prohibition following Mahajan’s death, which follows decades of advocacy from groups like the Animal Legal Defense Fund pointing to recurring horse collapses and urban safety hazards.
It's official! NYC has BANNED the use of horse-drawn carriages today in a historic vote (40-7) 🙌 The industry will be phased out entirely by 2028. Read more about this incredible victory: https://t.co/L0MfrPNxpb pic.twitter.com/pb2HJUBb1L
President Donald Trump criticized the vote in a social media statement, defending the rides as a quintessential New York experience that will be missed by visitors and residents alike.
So sad to see the beloved Central Park Horse-drawn Carriage Industry ending after over a Century, based largely on one tragic accident. When there is a car accident in the area, of which there are many, they don’t stop cars from entering the Park. So why would they stop the Carriages? It was a Great Tradition. Another piece of History that’s gone. It will be missed!
President Donald Trump, via Gothamist
With the council’s approval secured, the legislation awaits final enactment by Mayor Mamdani, setting a definitive deadline of June 1, 2028, for the complete cessation of horse-drawn carriage operations in Manhattan after the trade operated for more than a century and a half.
The New York City Council said “neigh” to Central Park’s horse-drawn carriages… but there’s plenty of work ahead. The bill tasks the Mamdani administration with drawing the details of a transition plan, @nilaroper_ reports:https://t.co/Nl4Z1je6fm
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NYC isn't horsing around anymore. In a 40-7 vote with 2 abstentions, the City Council passed a bill this afternoon abolishing the Big Apple's horse carriage industry. w/ @reinmann_molly https://t.co/y05mHNGPl8
"I believe we will have absolutely a veto-proof majority," Speaker Julie Menin said of tomorrow's City Council vote on a bill that'd abolish NYC's horse carriage industry. https://t.co/GdUZPCeVxC