TWU Local 100 Retirees Enjoy Horse-Carriage Rides in Central Park

After decades of moving New Yorkers by subway and bus, dozens of retired transit workers were treated Monday to leisurely rides through Central Park in horse-drawn carriages. The TWU 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.”

“It’s always great to see our employees having a good time, enjoying their retirement,” said Local 100 President Richard Davis. “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.” Check out video here!

There are approximately 150 active carriage drivers and owners in the industry, and about 200 horses. They are among the tourism-sector workers TWU Local 100 represents, a group that also includes private-sector employees at double-decker and boat-tour companies. For information on retiree outings for your union, or other group trips, email pdonohue@twulocal100.org.