Facing a ban on horse-drawn carriages, Central Park’s drivers fear for their livelihoods

The horse-drawn carriages that have cruised through Central Park for more than 150 years are set to be banished soon from New York City, ending an iconic tradition beloved by tourists but long opposed by animal welfare activists.

For the carriage drivers, it’s unclear what comes next.

“No one can come up with an appropriate answer because there is none,” said Alexus Lawson, a 28-year-old carriage driver from Queens who grew up with horses and has worked as a riding instructor. Now, she worries about what would become of 7-year-old Starlight and her other horses. “Without a job, how can I take care of my horses?”

The New York City Council is expected to pass a bill Thursday that would ban horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, pulling back the reins after the death of a teenage tourist last spring spurred the latest call to end the rides after decades of opposition from activists.

But the one question that has come up time and again — what to do with drivers whose jobs would be eliminated — remains largely unanswered.

Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

New York City’s iconic horse-drawn carriages expected to take their last trot

The legislation requires Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office to develop a plan by next April to help the more than 150 remaining drivers find other work. That would include referrals for job openings in the city’s transit, hospitality and taxi industries, as well as career counseling. It also would anticipate the administration considering some form of compensation for industry workers.

City Hall is working on a detailed plan for the transition of the workforce and has started discussions on potential compensation, a spokesperson for the mayor said. And Mamdani himself has said the government has a “civic responsibility to ensure that we are not leaving anybody out to dry.”

Medet Fidan, a former cab driver who traded his steering wheel for a set of reins after ride-sharing apps upended the taxi industry, said he felt like he was being targeted.

“I think the city is leaving us a big mess,” said Fidan, 56, who has been driving a carriage for 15 years. “We’re going to lose our businesses, we’re going to lose our jobs, we’re going to lose our livelihoods.”

Council Speaker Julie Menin “will remain engaged in the transition process,” a spokesperson said, adding that the legislation seeks to address the longstanding question of what happens to displaced carriage drivers by setting a firm deadline for City Hall to act.

The union representing the drivers has vowed to file a legal challenge “the minute the ink dries” on the legislation.

Mamdani’s two immediate predecessors as mayor had both called to end the industry, but neither succeeded.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned on ending the rides on day one of his administration but the effort wilted amid a 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 an 18-year-old Indian tourist, Romanch Mahajan, died after jumping from a runaway carriage during a ride. That appeared to be the first fatality involving a horse carriage in Central Park since the rides began.

Mahajan’s family has personally appealed to the city to end the rides, offering tearful testimony that they thought the rides were safe. His father, Deepak Mahajan, told lawmakers that his son jumped from the carriage to help his mother after she was thrown out of her seat after the horse suddenly bolted.

Carriage drivers have expressed sympathy for Mahajan and his family but argue that they are being unfairly targeted because of a single accident.

“It does nothing for alternate employment, for the continuation of our businesses,” said Christina Hansen, a longtime carriage driver and industry spokesperson. “Who’s going to pay my rent while I’m looking for a job?”

在中央公园巡游了 150 多年的马车即将从纽约市消失，这项深受游客喜爱但长期以来一直受到动物福利活动家反对的标志性传统即将终结。

对于马车夫来说，接下来会发生什么还不得而知。

“没有人能给出合适的答案，因为根本没有答案，”28岁的艾莉克丝·劳森说道。她来自皇后区，是一名马车夫，从小就与马为伴，也曾担任过骑术教练。如今，她担心7岁的“星光”和其他马匹的未来。“没有工作，我怎么照顾我的马呢？”

纽约市议会预计将于周四通过一项法案，该法案将于 2028 年 6 月前禁止马车游览。此前，一名十几岁的游客在去年春天不幸身亡，引发了数十年来活动人士反对马车游览的最新呼声，此次法案标志着纽约市政府对马车游览的禁令有所收紧。

但反复出现的一个问题——如何安置那些工作岗位将被取消的司机——仍然没有得到充分的解答。

Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

纽约市标志性的马车预计将迎来它们的最后一次亮相

该法案要求市长佐兰·马姆达尼办公室在明年四月前制定一项计划，帮助剩余的150多名司机找到其他工作。该计划将包括推荐他们到市内的公共交通、酒店和出租车行业工作，以及提供职业咨询。法案还要求市政府考虑为这些行业的从业人员提供某种形式的补偿。

市长发言人表示，市政厅正在制定一份详细的员工过渡计划，并已开始讨论可能的补偿方案。市长本人也曾表示，政府有“公民责任，确保不让任何人陷入困境”。

梅德特·菲丹曾是一名出租车司机，在网约车应用颠覆出租车行业后，他放弃了方向盘，转而开起了私家车。他说，他感觉自己成了被针对的目标。

“我觉得市政府给我们留下了一大堆烂摊子，”56岁的菲丹说道，他已经驾马车15年了。“我们会失去生意，我们会失去工作，我们会失去生计。”

一位发言人表示，议长朱莉·梅宁“将继续参与过渡进程”，并补充说，该立法旨在通过为市政厅采取行动设定明确的最后期限来解决长期以来关于流离失所的马车夫的去向的问题。

代表司机的工会誓言，一旦该法案墨迹未干，就会立即提起法律诉讼。

马姆达尼的前两任市长都曾呼吁取缔该行业，但都未能成功。

前市长比尔·德布拉西奥在其任期第一天就承诺取缔这些游乐设施，但由于工会的强烈反对以及演员利亚姆·尼森参与的大规模媒体宣传，这项努力最终失败。马姆达尼的前任市长埃里克·亚当斯在其任期后期也曾提出过禁令，但该提议最终也无疾而终。

最近的整治行动始于6月，当时一名18岁的印度游客罗曼奇·马哈詹在乘坐马车时，因马车失控跳车身亡。这似乎是中央公园马车项目开通以来发生的首起致命事故。

马哈詹的家人亲自向市政府呼吁停止这些游乐设施，并声泪俱下地作证说，他们一直认为这些游乐设施是安全的。他的父亲迪帕克·马哈詹告诉议员们，马匹突然受惊，他的母亲被甩出车外，儿子为了救她，跳下了马车。

马车夫们对马哈詹及其家人表示同情，但认为他们因为一起事故而受到不公平的对待。

“这对其他就业机会，对我们企业的持续经营毫无帮助，”资深马车夫兼行业发言人克里斯蒂娜·汉森说，“在我找工作期间，谁来付我的房租？”