Horse carriage advocates, opponents speak out as NYC ban looms
A New York City tradition is on the verge of ending as the City Council will soon decide whether to ban the horse carriage industry.
Council Speaker Julie Menin said Wednesday that city officials will be voting on Romanch's Law on Oct. 22. The bill, named after a teen killed during a horse carriage accident, will phase out the industry by June 2028.
"There are the votes within the council to support this. This has been a long time coming," Menin said.
The plan would also prohibit new horse carriage licenses; the horses would be retired, and the city would develop a transition program to help drivers find new jobs.
"I'm also appointing a working group to work through some of these issues, because under the bill, we have until June of 2028 to complete the transition, which involves everything from making sure the horses are going to a humane place, making sure that we get the workers jobs, and making sure that we're working with the medallion owners," Menin said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also weighed in on the proposed ban, saying she supports the measure.
The carriage industry called the proposed ban unconstitutional and is vowing to fight back.
Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen said Menin is using the death of a tourist to contrive a public safety crisis.
"Council Speaker Menin's bill has no meaningful economic relief for workers," Samuelsen said. "This is disgraceful political opportunism, and [Mayor] Zohran [Mamdani] should not simply go along with it, particularly when immigrant families' livelihoods are being destroyed. This entire situation is reprehensible."
"This bill will be devastating for carriage drivers and carriage owners. People will be evicted, people will lose their houses. They have mortgages and bills they need to pay. They have children," industry spokesperson Christina Hansen added.
The drivers and their union say the council bill is short on details of how to take care of those left without jobs. They are running ads slamming Menin for what they call "empty promises."
"The bill has no guarantees, only references to potential job counseling, job fairs, job referrals, and possible financial compensation for medallion owners. The bill doesn't protect workers. It destroys them," one ad says.
The proposed legislation leaves it up to Mayor Zohran Mamdani to devise a plan to find a soft landing for the 160 horses and 200 drivers. CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer asked him what he plans to do.
"I think that we have a civic responsibility to ensure that we are not leaving anybody out to dry," Mamdani said.
The mayor said there's still time to find solutions before the bill takes effect in June 2028.
"It is the kind of runway that's required to ensure that we can fulfill all of these different obligations," Mamdani said.
Horse carriage drivers in Central Park on Wednesday had a lot to say on the issue.
"You're 40 years coming to work and then you're told one day you don't have a job," Tony Moran said.
"When I got here in this industry, it was everything to me," Mario Angelucci added. "I'm doing it because I love what I do. Horses, it's something beautiful. It's an amazing, creative [industry] to be a part of. They can just bring joy to people, children."
Meanwhile, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said he would be open to finding jobs for the drivers, and a spokesperson for the mayor insisted the bill prevents the horses from becoming carriage horses elsewhere or being sent to slaughter.
