Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

Louis Gedo. - January 30, 2009      

Hearing on Intros. 658/653, City Hall – 2nd Floor, January 30, 2009

My name is Louis Gedo and I live in Queens.  I am here on behalf of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, and I support Intro. 658—the bill that would ban them.    

Spend an hour around Central Park South on any given day, and you will see trusting tourists asking: "How much is a carriage ride?"     

It seems a simple question, but apparently it is far from simple.    

Tourists are baffled, and are left to sort it out on their own.   

It appears that the drivers "size up" the tourists and then suggest a fare they think they can GET. They usually get away with it.    

If the consumer balks, the long-suffering driver may "explain" that that the quoted fare includes a sales tax.     Another deception.

"Fifty dollars" is an often-heard response to the fare question, as videos have well documented. Many tourists are charged more.     

Anyone who has seen the recent video of tourists being overcharged outside of Central Park would surely be as baffled as tourists are.

It brings to mind the "Three Card Monte" con game, not exactly the image that New York City should be cultivating.

Adding to the confusion around fares is the hack line itself—or the lack of one.

The 2007 city audit of the industry found there ARE NO areas clearly identifying where carriages may pick up passengers.

Decades-long attempts at industry oversight… including enforcement of a simple and methodical fare structure … have failed outright.

If tour operators quoted such variable fares, they would likely face severe consequences.

Why is OK for the carriage industry?

This is even more absurd in view of the industry bill, Intro. 653-A, which would give drivers a RAISE.

Why would they need a RAISE? It's a cash-only business … and they charge whatever they can get!

I join the TENS OF THOUSANDS of people who support a FULL BAN on horse-drawn carriages in New York City.