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It Now Costs $54 For A 20 Minute NYC Carriage Horse Ride
By
Jen Chung
Published May 23, 2016
Modified Apr 4, 2018
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 23, 2016
Modified Apr 4, 2018
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Mayor Bill de Blasio has a fairly contentious relationship with the horse carriage industry. First he promised to ban carriage horses, then he decided just to limit them, but then the Council wouldn't even vote on that... so now the drivers are getting a raise.
The Daily News reports, "The city Department of Consumer Affairs quietly hiked the price of a carriage ride last week, part of a Michael Bloomberg administration deal that had been on hold while de Blasio duked it out with the drivers over the possible ban. Drivers can now charge $54.08 for the first 20 minutes of a ride, and $21.63 for every 10 minutes after. Before the rate hike, the drivers were allowed to charge $50 for the first 20 minutes, and $20 for every 10 minutes after."
Forty minutes is apparently the average trip length, so you'll have to shell out just under $100.
NYCLASS, the animal rights group that supported de Blasio, is unhappy; executive director Allie Taylor told the News, "Mayor de Blasio’s failure to protect these animals is now complete. He rewards an industry that abuses animals and sends horses to slaughter, while claiming he is a champion of animal rights. It’s pathetic, but expected at this point from a mayor who stands for nothing."
The FBI and Manhattan DA's office are currently investigating the six-figure donations NYCLASS made to de Blasio's non-profit, Campaign For One New York, that existed to push his signature initiatives.
The Mayor's office said, "This raise is nothing more than the byproduct of a City Council bill that passed several years ago. No mayor has done more to protect horses and this rate increase does not stand in the way of the mayor's steadfast commitment to removing carriages from city streets."
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carriage horse driver
carriage horses
mayor de blasio
nyclass
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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