NYC Carriage Drivers Rally at Central Park Entrance Against Phaseout Plan, Demand Compensation Before Council Vote
NEW YORK — New York City is a city in New York County, New York. On October 16, New York City carriage drivers and members of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 rallied at the Central Park entrance near West 57th Street and Seventh Avenue to protest legislation that would phase out their industry, demanding that the city put concrete compensation and job-transition plans in place before ending it. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the bill on October 22.
The bill, known as Romanch's Law, is named for Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old visitor who died in June after being thrown from a runaway carriage in Central Park. If passed, horse-drawn carriages would stop operating citywide on June 1, 2028. The bill also requires the city to produce a worker transition plan by April 2027, including job training and career counseling, and says the city should "consider" financial compensation for carriage medallion owners. Council Speaker Julie Menin and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced their agreement on the bill on October 13, and it has 29 Council sponsors.
Drivers at the rally said the protections in the bill remain only a framework, with no funding attached. Cristina Hansen, a carriage driver and TWU shop steward, said the text includes no appropriation and no enforceable timeline, and that drivers could lose their livelihoods, homes and money for their children's schooling. TWU International President John Samuelsen criticized the bill for offering "no meaningful economic relief for workers." Industry supporters say the city has 68 carriage medallions and that carriages provide more than 100,000 rides a year.
A spokesperson for Speaker Julie Menin said the Speaker would remain in conversation with the TWU and that the Council's framework is meant to ensure better economic opportunities for the drivers. City Hall said the Mamdani administration is working on a detailed workforce transition plan and has begun discussions on compensation for medallion owners.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Central Park里的一匹马车马。照片：Erik Drost，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0。Photo: A carriage horse in Central Park, New York. Photo by Erik Drost, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
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- 2026-10-17NYC Carriage Drivers Rally at Central Park Entrance Against Phaseout Plan, Demand Compensation Before Council VoteThis story
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