NYC Council Votes 40-7 to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages by June 2028 New York City Council passed Romanch's Law to phase out horse-drawn carriages by June 2028 after a teenager's death in Central Park, prompting lawsuit threats from drivers and union leaders. New York City Council voted 40-7 on Thursday to ban horse-drawn carriages by June 1, 2028, ending a nearly 170-year tradition and prompting immediate threats of legal action from drivers and union leaders. Two council members abstained from the vote on Romanch's Law, which is named after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan. Mahajan died in June after being thrown from a runaway carriage in Central Park. He had jumped from the carriage during the ride. His death appeared to be the first fatality involving a horse carriage in Central Park since the rides began more than 150 years ago.President Donald Trump weighed in on the decision, criticizing the move to eliminate one of New York City's longtime tourist attractions. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the horse-drawn carriage in New York City is a quintessential New York experience and said it was sad that for political reasons it would go. In another post, he called it a great tradition and another piece of history that is gone.The Transport Workers Union, representing roughly 200 carriage horse drivers and owners, plans to file a lawsuit against the city as soon as Mayor Zohran Mamdani signs the bill. The union intends to seek a temporary restraining order. Union representatives accused City Council Speaker Julie Menin of failing to adequately consult drivers whose livelihoods are at stake.The TWU warned in a letter to the council on Wednesday that legal action would come the minute the ink dries on the legislation. TWU International President John Samuelsen said in a statement that the bill is a train wreck of constitutional and due process violations. He said it is not progressive, it is anti-worker, and it is theft.The union's attorneys claimed in a letter to the city's Law Department that the bill includes serious federal and state constitutional violations, including taking property from employees without just compensation. The union was not against legislation aimed at regulating the carriage horse industry, they wrote, and is still willing to work with politicians to reach a law that benefits workers, protects the animals, and is legally sound. The letter was also sent to Menin and Mamdani.The city says the TWU would be wasting its time. Nicholas Paolucci, a spokesperson for the Law Department, said they are reviewing the letter and are confident the legislation is grounded in the law and will be prepared to defend it. Menin defended the legislation Thursday, saying the council had strengthened worker protections and was prepared for a legal fight. She said they are very confident in the legislation and took time over the summer to work on it.They made changes to beef up worker protection and will vigorously defend the law. Menin's office referred to a statement she released last week, justifying the ban by citing the tragic and preventable death of Mahajan. She said horse-drawn carriages have long been part of New York City's history, but in an increasingly busy Central Park, this tradition has become a growing public safety liability.City Hall Prepares Worker Transition PlanShe added that horses no longer have a place among Central Park's pedestrians, cyclists, dog-walkers, and tourists. The bill requires Mayor Mamdani's office to develop a plan by next April to help more than 150 remaining drivers find other work. That plan would include career counseling and referrals for openings in the city's transit, hospitality, and taxi industries. It also allows the administration to consider some form of compensation for industry workers.City Hall is working on a detailed plan for the workforce transition and has started discussions on potential compensation, a spokesperson for the mayor said. Mamdani has said government has a civic responsibility to ensure that we are not leaving anybody out to dry. The TWU has argued the legislation offers nothing concrete for blue-collar drivers and carriage owners who will be financially crushed.The union says they will be stripped of their jobs, their licenses, expensive city-issued medallions, small businesses, and way of life. An effort to delay the phaseout until January 2030 failed before the final vote. Second-generation horse carriage driver Frank Riccobono spoke outside New York City Hall on Oct. 21, 2026, ahead of the vote.Medet Fidan, a former cab driver who traded his steering wheel for a set of reins after ride-hailing apps upended the taxi industry, said he felt like he was being targeted. Fidan, 56, said the city is leaving them a big mess, and they are going to lose their businesses, jobs, and livelihoods.Alexus Lawson, a 28-year-old carriage driver from Queens who grew up with horses and has worked as a riding instructor, said no one can come up with an appropriate answer because there is none. She worries about what would become of 7-year-old Starlight and her other horses. She asked how she can take care of her horses without a job.Christina Hansen, a longtime carriage driver and industry spokesperson, said the bill does nothing for alternate employment or for the continuation of their businesses. She asked who is going to pay her rent while she is looking for a job. The death of Mahajan has been central to the push for the ban. His family has personally appealed to the city to end the rides, offering tearful testimony that they thought the rides were safe.Mahajan Family Supports Carriage BanHis uncle, Gaurav Mahajan, praised the proposal during a rally Thursday, saying the hour of justice has finally arrived. He said they are turning their shattering loss into an unbreakable shield of kindness for the city. For months, he said, the family has not been allowed to just grieve. They have had to fight and channel their devastating sorrow into a war for change.The animal rights group PETA and 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. PETA wrote in a press release that in the modern era, carriages pose a serious and even fatal safety risk to park visitors, carriage drivers, and the horses themselves.The organization said its heart breaks for the family of Romanch Mahajan, who stepped into a carriage earlier this summer and never thought he might lose his life. The legislation also includes protections intended to prevent retired carriage horses from being sold for slaughter, while allowing owners to keep their animals. The bill now heads to Mamdani, who has expressed support for ending the industry.Long Political Battle Over Tourist AttractionIf signed, it would bring an end to a decades-long political battle over one of New York City's most recognizable tourist attractions. The ban follows years of failed efforts to end the rides. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned on ending the rides on day one of his administration, but the effort wilted amid backlash from unions and a big media blitz involving actor Liam Neeson.Eric Adams, the mayor just before Mamdani, floated a ban late in his term but the proposal went nowhere. The latest push began in June after Mahajan's death.