I came to America 15 years ago as an immigrant, just like many of my fellow drivers and colleagues. I fell in love with the horses of Central Park and the tradition they represent. What started as a job became my life’s work.
Today, I am proud to be a New York City horse carriage driver, a medallion owner, and, above all, the proud father of two beautiful daughters. This industry has given me the opportunity to build a life, support my family, and contribute to the city I now proudly call home.
On July 15, I attended the City Council Health Committee hearing on Intro 943, the proposed bill that would ban horse-carriage rides. I felt the conversation was driven more by the emotions of a recent tragic incident, an unprecedented fatal carriage accident, than by the facts. I felt that the families who depend on this industry, the people who invested their lives into it, and the future of our business were not really being heard.
I was getting ready to announce a hunger strike because I honestly felt nobody wanted to listen to us. I hope I’m heard here and now.
I came to America believing in the American Dream, like so many immigrants do. I invested my life savings into what I believed was a legitimate, licensed New York City business protected by law. My dream was simple: to work hard, pay my taxes, provide for my family, retire with dignity one day, and hopefully leave this business to my children as a legacy.
I have personally invested more than $1 million in my medallions, horses, carriages, trailer, equipment, and my online business.
My business now generates more than $500,000 in annual revenue, creates jobs, supports local businesses, and pays New York City taxes.
We followed the rules. We paid our taxes. We took care of our horses. And for years, we have proudly welcomed millions of visitors from around the world, sharing one of New York’s most iconic traditions.
These are not just carriage medallions. Behind every medallion is a lifetime of hard work, a family’s life savings, and someone’s dream. For many of us, this business is everything we have worked for.
Since the Health Committee hearing, we have learned that the horse that bolted in the tragic accident in June almost certainly was shocked by stray electricity from faulty underground power cables in the Cherry Hill fountain area, which is known for flooding. Con Ed detected the stray voltage after the industry asked it to investigate the possibility. Power has been cut to the area for two weeks now.
It would be terribly unjust for the city to take our jobs, our investments, and our beloved horses away from us because the cables beneath us were not properly inspected and maintained. Council members rushed to judgement. I urge them to reconsider.
City leaders have an opportunity to leave a positive legacy by showing that problems can be solved with fairness, compassion, and vision. Any safety concerns the Council has can be addressed by common-sense solutions, such as hitching posts and having Health Department inspectors monitor operations in Central Park for rule compliance — something it amazingly still fails to do today. Councilman Jim Gennaro’s bill, Intro 937, would mandate such moves, along with better training and tougher licensing requirements, increasing the number of annual horse exams from two to three, and increasing their vacation from five weeks to six.
We are not asking for sympathy. We are simply asking for fairness, dignity, and the opportunity to protect what we have spent our lives building.
Aktay drives a horse carriage in Central Park.