City shuts down horse carriage operator after new video exposes code violation

As the city weighs a possible ban of horse carriages in Savannah, the city ordered Carriage Tours Of Savannah to cease operations on June 26 after activists exposed them operating without a license.

In an email to owner Cara Marshall, Tourism Supervisor Rachel Buck gave the following order:

“Effective immediately, Carriage Tours of Savannah must cease operations… There should be no carriages on the street until we receive the appropriate licensing documentation.”

The order was prompted by a video published Wednesday by Ban Horse Carriages Savannah, which featured a call recording with the Department of Agriculture, confirming the company is operating illegally without an active “Equine Stable License.”

Susan Broker, Senior Director of Special Events, Film and Tourism stated: “[Carriage Tours of Savannah]’s failure to renew their license has placed themselves in a challenging situation.”

A Ban Horse Carriages of Savannah volunteer responded to this action by the city:

“Carriage Tours of Savannah was operating illegally for 16 days with no action from the city. It took our video to inspire enforcement. This latest incident proves that not only can the carriage companies not be trusted to regulate themselves, the city cannot be trusted to regulate them. A ban is the only answer when the city forces residents to do their enforcement work for them.”

This comes after another video documented what advocates say are numerous other code violations. In one example, a video shows Carriage Tours of Savannah operating a tour during rush hour between 4:30 and 6pm on a weekday, which is prohibited by Savannah’s Horse Drawn Carriage ordinance. In another clip, a carriage was caught operating on a prohibited section of Broughton Street. It is unclear what if any actions were taken by the city after these apparent violations.

This action comes before an upcoming City Council vote on a possible horse carriage ban, pending the completion of a report by Jay Melder, due this month.

On the subject of a ban, a BHCS volunteer said:

“The Horse Drawn Carriage Ordinance routinely goes unenforced. The city’s current resources have not been able to regulate this industry as much as it needs to be regulated and we cannot justify spending more of the city’s resources further regulating this nonessential business. The public shouldn’t have to step in and document violations themselves but that’s where we are. Horse Carriage companies have violated the public’s trust, and the only option left is a full ban on this archaic and lawless industry. Since the current ordinance already cannot be regulated thoroughly, adding stricter regulations instead of a complete ban would be illogical.”

Full video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMnWmgz6fp0

Ban Horse Carriages Savannah  (BHCS) – exists to promote a ban of the horse carriage industry in Savannah’s historic district. Read our  carriage ban proposal here: https://www.savannahcarriagetours.com