A City Council hearing room turned emotional Wednesday as lawmakers took up a bill that would phase out New York City’s horse-drawn carriage industry for good — the first hearing on the measure in the four years since it was introduced.
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The legislation, now called Romanch’s Law, is named for Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist from India who was killed last month when he was thrown from a runaway carriage in Central Park after the horse was spooked. As NY1 reported, the bill would begin phasing out carriages before a total ban by June 2028, retrain drivers for new jobs, and retire the horses to sanctuaries.Mahajan’s father, Deepak, testified over Zoom from India in support of the bill named for his son. “He took his last breath in his mother’s arm, while his 11-year-old brother and I stood watching,” he said. Romanch’s aunt urged the Council to make sure her nephew is the last person to die because of the industry, and the family has retained a lawyer and signaled plans to take legal action against the city.
The measure has picked up a crucial ally in Council Speaker Julie Menin, who called the teenager’s death a turning point. “Today, when you combine a public space teeming with tens of millions of people and animals that weigh more than 1,000 pounds and possess an instinct to flee, accidents and collisions become inevitable,” Menin said. A version of the bill has floated around City Hall since 2022, first introduced as Ryder’s Law, named for a horse filmed collapsing on a Hell’s Kitchen street that year. But a previous speaker declined to bring it up. “My original bill would have banned horse-drawn carriages in New York City June 1 of this year. Romanch died on June 17,” said former Council Member Robert Holden, the measure’s original sponsor.
The drivers who would lose their livelihoods pushed back hard. The industry counts roughly 160 horses, 68 carriages and 208 licensed drivers, represented by Transport Workers Union Local 100. “It’s [been going for] more than 200 years,” union president John Chiarello said. “We’re all sad for the family, but think of all these immigrant laborers who have a job, but won’t have a job anymore.”
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Menin has pledged to soften the blow, saying in a video she is “actively working on a plan to guarantee them quality employment opportunities in the hospitality industry.” Drivers were unmoved. Christina Hansen, a driver and industry spokesperson, told CBS New York the city was preparing to dismantle a trade over a single tragedy: “Because there was an accident, they are suddenly taking the whole animal rights agenda and punishing the entire industry by taking away their businesses, their horses, their livelihoods.” She bristled at the jobs offer, noting drivers “already have jobs” they chose.Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he supports phasing out the carriages but wants stronger worker protections written into the bill. For now, the measure has just over 20 sponsors and needs 26 votes to pass the full Council. The earliest it could come up for a vote is August.
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