New York City has voted to phase out horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, closing a celebrated Central Park attraction while opening a sharp dispute over what the change will mean for workers, business owners and horses.

The measure, known as Romanch’s Law, was named for Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old tourist who died in June after being ejected from a runaway carriage in Central Park. It directs the city to prepare a transition plan for employees and operators before the industry closes, but its passage has not settled the argument over whether that support is sufficiently defined.¹

City leaders and animal-welfare advocates cast the vote as a balance of public safety, worker protections and humane treatment. Council Speaker Julie Menin called the legislation a commitment to “animal welfare, public safety, and worker protection.” Peta’s Ashley Byrne said the vote ended an industry that had required horses to pull heavy carriages through traffic and severe weather, and said the organization would provide $50,000 to help retire the animals.²

Drivers and their union see a very different balance. The Transport Workers Union Local 100 says the bill offers no firm guarantee of retraining or compensation, leaving operators, including family-run businesses, uncertain about their livelihoods. Union president John Samuelsen called it “utterly false” that the legislation contains real retraining plans, arguing that language saying help will be considered is not a concrete commitment.¹

The disagreement also turns on the industry’s cultural and economic value. Operators point to more than 100,000 rides a year and warn that medallions and businesses accumulated over generations could lose their value; the union has said it may seek legal action. Former President Donald Trump similarly described the carriages as a “Great Tradition,” arguing that one tragic accident should not end them.¹

The city’s vote gives both sides more than two years to test their competing assurances: advocates will watch whether horses are safely retired, while workers will judge whether the transition plan delivers protections beyond principle.²