European capitals confront horse‑drawn carriage bans as heatwaves rise

A video of a horse collapsing from heat on a Roman carriage sparked a wave of criticism on social media and reignited debate over the use of traditional horse‑drawn carriages in tourist cities. In Rome, only 16 licensed drivers remain, down from about 40 a decade ago, and animal‑rights groups are demanding a complete ban.

Vienna, which still operates around 150 “Fiaker” carriages, has strict controls: they may run only between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., each horse can work a maximum of 18 days per month and must stop when temperatures exceed 35 °C – a limit animal advocates want to lower to 30 °C. Prague banned inner‑city horse‑carriage rides in 2023 after a petition signed by more than 16 000 people, citing hard, heat‑absorbing paving and exhaust fumes.

Other cities are already moving away from animal power. Mallorca’s Alcúdia switched entirely to electric carriages last year, and Palma plans a similar transition for its 28 licensed drivers. Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga and other Spanish locales have replaced horse‑drawn rides with electric tuk‑tuks, e‑bikes and tour buses. Brussels introduced electric carriages in 2024 as part of its effort to modernise tourist transport.