SAN ANTONIO – City Council is grappling with how quickly to phase out horse-drawn carriages in downtown San Antonio.
Two months ago, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted for city staff to draft multiple plans outlining how the city could begin phasing out carriage operations.
On Thursday, those staff members developed three potential options and briefed the City Council. The options included 12-month, 24-month, and 36-month transition plans.
According to the presentation, each plan included changes to a current city ordinance or city code, and an outline of short-, mid-, and long-term strategies that will be available to carriage operators to assist them with employment.
The transition plans also outlined the support and participation needed from the horse carriage business owners for an effective transition.
In terms of support for carriage operators and business owners, all three transition plans call for providing access to employment resources including training through the city’s Ready to Work program, career fairs and workshops.
In addition, all three options also suggest operators and business owners connect to LaunchSA and LiftFund to explore zero-percent interest loans.
However, the plans are different in how they address necessary changes to the city code.
The 12-month transition plan would:
- End all permit renewals for horse carriages after March of 2026.
- Limit the number of electronic carriage or e-carriage permits issued by September 2025 to just 25 permits.
- Restrict the first two years of e-carriage operation permits to only horse carriage business owners making the change to e-carriages.
The two-year plan would:
- End all permit renewals for horse carriages after March 2027.
- Decrease operating hours by 25% beginning April 2026.
- Restrict the first two years of e-carriage operation permits to only horse carriage business owners making the change to e-carriages
The three-year plan would:
- End all permit renewals for horse carriages after March 2028.
- Decrease operating hours by 25% beginning April 2026.
- Implement an additional 25% decrease in operating hours in April 2027.
- Limit electronic carriage or e-carriage permits issued by September 2025 to just 25 permits.
- Restrict the first two years of e-carriage operation permits to only horse carriage business owners making the change to e-carriages.
Following the presentation, city council members and Mayor Ron Nirenberg made their positions known.
They all acknowledged the inevitable ban on horse carriages in downtown San Antonio.
However, a consensus as to how soon the ban should be implemented fueled a strong debate with the mayor and the council All except District 9 Councilman John Courage specified a timeline they would prefer.
Nirenberg and District 8 Councilman Manny Palaez voiced their belief that action on phasing out horse carriages should have happened already.
“I believe it’s time, actually overdue. I would like to transition thoughtfully, compassionately as soon as we can,” Nirenberg said.
Palaez did not hold back his frustration with the slow action.
“I’m for prohibiting these horse carriages from operating downtown yesterday and to me, one year seems too much,” he said.
District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, through a written statement, agreed with District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda by supporting the one-year plan.
Councilwomen Adriana Rocha Garcia (District 4) and Sukh Kaur (District 1) stated they would support a three-year phaseout.
Though not presented by city staff as an option, Councilmembers Marc Whyte (District 10), Teri Castillo (District 5) and Phyllis Viagran (District 3) stated a need for a five-year transition plan.
Viagran referenced her own experience as a small business owner and interjected that a quick phrase out could potentially put business owners into an unwanted financial position.
“What I know, because I was a small business owner that had to wind down her business, is that one, if it happens in one to two years, you can basically guarantee there will be a bankruptcy proceeding”, Viagran said.
Whyte echoed a similar possibility based on the investments that horse carriage business owners have already made.
“They have a lot of debt, that they need to retire,” he said. “These groups, it does not seem reasonable to me based on their investment that they’re going to be able to retire the debt in one, two, three years.”
Castillo said, “I believe anything less than five years is a disservice and will create further distrust with San Antonio and Texas residents...”
Kaur also asked city staff if e-carriages are street-legal.
City staff explained that e-carriages would have to be assigned vehicle identification numbers, or VIN, for them to be issued a license plate by the Texas Department of Transportation.
After registration, the owners of e-carriages would be able to obtain insurance on the vehicles.
Not only that, the city would have to make another change to the city ordinance to allow e-carriages to operate on city streets as vehicles for hire.
Thursday’s briefing did not lead to a vote — nor was it supposed to.
San Antonio City Manger Erik Walsh ended the discussion by saying the issue will be brought back for council action during the first council meeting in December.