New York City Council votes 40 to 7 to ban Central Park horse carriages from 2028

The council vote

The New York City Council approved a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Central Park on Thursday, 22 October, voting 40 in favour and 7 against. The measure takes effect on 1 June 2028, a lead time council speaker Julie Menin tied to the need for about 150 drivers to find new work. Mayor Zohran Mamdani supports the ban, and his office has said he will sign it. Until he does, the bill is not yet law.

Why the ban came now

The debate over the carriages has run for nearly two decades, pitting defenders of a long tradition against campaigners who say the horses are mistreated. The turning point was a death in June, when an 18-year-old tourist from India was killed after a carriage horse bolted and he fell from the vehicle. The Central Park Conservancy, which manages a park visited by 42 million people a year, has also backed the ban. Over the past 13 months, the conservancy counted seven incidents involving the carriages, ranging from a driver taken to hospital to a chain collision caused by a frightened horse.

What the bill requires

The bill bars owners from selling horses for slaughter or for other horse-drawn cab businesses. Estimates of the horse population differ, with one report citing more than 160 animals and another about 200. The city must produce an industry transition plan by April 2027 covering owners, drivers and stable workers, and study a compensation scheme for the medallions owners bought from the city. One proposal floated is letting drivers carry tourists through the park in pedicabs, also known as rickshaws. Reports cite drivers earning between $60,000 and $70,000 a year, while a 20-minute ride averaged $72.

Drivers push back

Drivers and owners protested outside City Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, saying the transition plan does not go far enough. A day before the vote, the Transport Workers Union Local 100 said it would seek a court injunction as soon as the bill was signed. Its administrative vice president, Alexander Kemp, made the union's position clear on Thursday afternoon.

We will see them in court.

He went further in his criticism of the bill, which he said leaves hundreds of workers and owners facing economic ruin.

This bill is blatantly unconstitutional, providing nothing but a plan to draft a plan.

Reactions and what comes next

Donald Trump criticized the decision on Truth Social, calling the carriages a great tradition and saying the vote was driven by political reasons. Animal welfare groups celebrated the outcome, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund said the city was moving toward a more humane approach to tourism. PETA announced a $50,000 donation to cover the care of horses that will leave service. Reports say a group of operators plans to sue in hopes of reversing the ban or delaying it past 2030. For now, the mayor's signature and the April 2027 transition deadline are the next formal steps.