Local 100 Retirees Enjoy Horse-Carriage Rides in Central Park

Retiree Association members toured Central Park in horse-drawn carriages
Retiree Association members toured Central Park in horse-drawn carriages

After decades of moving New Yorkers by subway and bus, dozens of retired transit workers were treated Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2023, to leisurely rides through Central Park in horse-drawn carriages. 

The Local 100 Retirees Association arranged for the 50-minute tours, which included views of Bethesda Fountain, the Sheep Meadow, the Lake, the Central Park Carousel, and Strawberry Fields. As they guided their horses through the rolling landscape, which was designed and built in the 1850s, the carriage drivers shared historical and pop-culture tidbits about the park and the sights.

“It was beautiful,” Ramona Johnson, a former Bus Operator and former Vice Chair of the Jackie Gleason Bus Depot, in Brooklyn said. “The ride was nice and smooth. The weather was perfect. The driver was excellent.”

Retired CTA Eric Jewell called the tour “wonderful.”

“We really enjoyed it,” he said. “Nice day in the park. Beautiful weather. The driver explained everything, told us about the buildings around the park, the park itself, the movies that were made here. It was great. Really great.”

President Richard Davis and Association Director James Manzella warmly greeted the group, which was also treated to lunch. 

“It’s always great to see our employees having a good time, enjoying their retirement,” Davis said. “They moved New York for decades. Today, they were the passengers, and they traveled in style through Central Park, which is an amazing NYC treasure.”

There are approximately 150 active carriage drivers and owners in the industry, and about 200 horses. They are among the tourism-sector workers Local 100 represents, a group that also includes private-sector employees at double-decker and boat-tour companies.