New York City Council Votes to End Central Park Horse Carriage Rides by June 2028

The New York City Council voted 40 to 7 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, to pass Romanch’s Law, ending horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park by June 2028.

Two council members abstained, Reuters reported, leaving the measure with a veto-proof majority on the 51-member council.

Under the law, no new licenses for carriage horses, horse-drawn cabs or horse-drawn cab drivers may be issued on or after June 1, 2028, according to the New York City Council.

Licenses still active when the law takes effect will permanently expire on May 31, 2028, the Council said, and will not be renewed.

The bill, Introduction 943-A, was sponsored by Council Member Christopher Marte and is named for Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist from India.

Mahajan died on June 17, 2026, after being thrown from a carriage in Central Park, Reuters reported.

Reuters reported that the horse bolted after the driver stepped away to take a photograph of Mahajan’s family.

Council Speaker Julie Menin said Mahajan’s death and his family’s testimony at a July Council hearing were the tipping point for her, amNewYork reported.

“Today, the City Council made history,” Menin said in a statement issued by the Council. “Our landmark vote to pass Romanch’s Law is a demonstration of this Council’s commitment to animal welfare, public safety, and worker protection.”

Horse-drawn carriages have operated in Central Park since 1858, the Council said, first as a form of transportation and later as a tourist attraction.

The Council said the park now welcomes more than 42 million visitors a year, and Menin described the status quo as unsustainable and unsafe for horses and people alike.

The law requires an agency or agencies designated by the mayor to establish a transition plan by April 1, 2027, for carriage owners, drivers and other workers, including stable workers, the Council said.

That plan must include a workforce transition program, Gothamist reported, including career counseling, civil service training and job referrals.

The law also requires humane disposition of the carriage horses and prohibits their sale or transfer for slaughter or for use in another horse-drawn cab business, the Council said.

Gothamist reported that owners could keep their horses.

The Council said the transition plan must also consider a program to help owners place their horses and equipment and consider a program to compensate owners for the value of their businesses, licenses and equipment.

That wording means compensation is to be considered in the plan, not guaranteed by the law itself.

The Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage drivers and owners, has vowed to challenge the ban in court, USA TODAY reported.

Before the vote, the union wrote to the city’s Corporation Counsel that it would seek a temporary restraining order as soon as the measure is enacted, arguing that it would take drivers’ and owners’ property without just compensation, amNewYork reported.

A Law Department representative told amNewYork that the city is confident the legislation is grounded in the law.

The bill now goes to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has backed the measure and has said he will sign it, CBS New York reported.