New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani announced a deal on October 15, 2026 to end the Central Park horse-drawn carriage industry, with rides continuing two years while the city helps medallion-holding, unionized owners transition out. The City Council has since voted to ban the carriages from June 2028, attaching a transition plan for about 150 drivers. The push follows a fatal accident this year in which a spooked horse toppled its carriage and killed a teenage tourist. Coverage has also noted that the Plaza Hotel will close for four or five years to restore its facade. What the transition plan covers for drivers, and how the two-year runway lines up with the 2028 ban, remain the open questions.