Central Park’s horse-drawn carriage drivers fear for their future as New York City passes a ban – NBC News

Central Park’s horse-drawn carriage drivers fear for their future as New York City passes a ban  NBC News

NEW YORK — The horse-drawn carriages that have cruised through Central Park for more than 150 years will soon be banished 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 passed 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.

But the one question that has come up time and again — what to do with drivers whose jobs would be eliminated — remains largely unanswered. The legislation requires Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office to develop a plan by next April to help the more than 150 remaining drivers and the rest of the industry find other jobs, though its provisions are vague and doesn’t set clear benchmarks for displaced workers. Instead, it requires City Hall to come up with a program that