To nearly all visitors, a gentle ride in a carriage through Central Park will still evoke pure New York romance. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin struck a deal to phase out the industry by June 2028. The City Council then passed Romanch’s Law by a 40-7 vote on October 22. After decades of stalled efforts, the first known human death in the trade’s long history proved to be the turning point. The horses will keep working for a while longer, but the end is now in sight.
A romantic image meets a harsh reality
For nearly 160 years, Central Park’s carriage rides have attracted tourists. But in recent Central Park Conservancy reports of bolting, collisions, and collapses, safety issues are becoming more prevalent in an increasingly busy park.
The deal that finally moved the needle
Mamdani and Menin reached an agreement in mid-October. The mayor, who had supported a ban in principle but worried about worker protections, got behind the bill after language on job transition was strengthened. In a post on X he wrote that the industry is “coming to an end” while promising that workers and owners would be protected and the horses kept safe. City Hall confirmed a deal had been struck.
How Romanch’s law came together
The law was named after Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old Indian tourist who was tragically killed as a carriage horse bolted in June, and any new licenses are halted immediately, while existing licenses will expire by June 1, 2028. It calls for a city employee transition program, owner compensation be taken into account, and horses be humanely rehoused and not sold for slaughter or for carriage elsewhere.
The tragic incident that changed everything
Mahajan was visiting with his family to celebrate his graduation. According to accounts reported by The New York Times and others, the horse spooked, the carriage ran, and the teenager jumped in an attempt to help his mother, who had been thrown. He struck his head and later died. The Central Park Conservancy called it the eighth horse-related incident in or near the park in roughly 13 months and the first known human fatality in the industry’s history.
A long record of horse and human risk
The Central Park Conservancy has listed recent incidents that include horses collapsing and dying on the drives, bolting into traffic, and tipping carriages. An analysis released by the Animal Welfare Institute and related borough data points to 96 serious incidents and 40 horse deaths since 1982, with incident rates rising sharply in recent decades. When horses break free, people are injured roughly half the time according to the same records.
What the numbers show about safety
City licensing data show roughly 68 carriages, around 200 licensed drivers and owners, and roughly 100–200 horses still active. The Conservancy has argued that horses are simply too unpredictable for today’s crowded park roads. Other cities such as Chicago and San Antonio have already ended similar operations.
Why previous ban attempts failed
Efforts to end the carriages date back more than a decade and earlier. Mayors and speakers repeatedly ran into opposition from the union and concerns about jobs. The combination of Mahajan’s death, a series of high-profile incidents, Conservancy support, and strengthened transition language finally produced a veto-proof majority. Speaker Menin became the first sitting speaker to back a full ban.
What happens to the horses
The law prohibits selling or transporting the horses for slaughter or for use in other carriage operations. The city must assist with humane disposition. Drivers also worry about supporting horses they own once carriage income ends.
Looking ahead to 2028 and beyond
Carriages can continue operating until June 2028 while the transition programs are built. Mamdani is expected to sign the bill. The industry will have nearly two years to wind down, but success will depend on how concretely the city delivers job help and whether compensation moves beyond the word “consider.” For many New Yorkers the end of the carriages marks a shift from nostalgia to a calculation about safety in a crowded city park.
