Palma will replace horse-drawn carriages with electric vehicles after reaching an agreement with drivers
The City Council is initiating regulatory changes after securing majority support from the sector for a gradual transition to a more sustainable model without animal traction.
PalmPalma City Council will gradually replace the horse-drawn carriages by electric vehicles after reaching an agreement with the majority of tourist carriage drivers. This step marks the beginning of a shift in the city's model towards a more sustainable tourist transport system.
As reported by the Palma City Council (Cort) this Thursday, the majority support from the group allows the formal start of the process to eliminate animal traction in this service. The carriage owners have expressed their willingness to make the transition voluntarily, a result of the dialogue maintained with the City Council since the beginning of the legislative term.
From now on, the Palma City Council will study the necessary regulatory changes to allow the implementation of electric carriages. The goal is for these new vehicles to be operational as soon as possible, although no specific deadlines or conditions for the replacement have been established yet.
The governing team has emphasized that this change reflects the desire to move towards a "more modern, sustainable, and animal welfare-friendly" model. In this vein, the City Council has highlighted that the initiative is part of a strategy developed in recent years to introduce less polluting alternatives to urban mobility.
![Animal abuse](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 9"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Agreement with the drivers
The agreement with the drivers has been key to unlocking this process. According to the City Council, the consensus was reached after an open dialogue with the sector, which even presented a formal proposal to promote the transition to electric carriages. The City Council has praised the group's willingness to align with the new model, which will allow the replacement of horse-drawn carriages with electric vehicles to be carried out gradually and without conflict. With this decision, Palma joins the trend of other cities that are eliminating the use of animals in tourist activities and opting for more sustainable solutions. The ultimate goal is to consolidate a service adapted to new social and environmental demands without harming professionals in the sector.
