More and more cities are saying goodbye to horse-drawn carriages for tourists. Málaga has decided that this will be its last year

Malaga no longer wants horse carriages. That its City Council does not feel comfortable with the tourist buggies that still roll through the city is something known and that its mayor, Francisco de la Torre, recognized no holds barred in summer. What the coachmen who continue to exploit the 25 current carriage licenses probably did not imagine is the extent to which the Consistory is in a hurry to say goodbye to them.

A few days ago De la Torre announced that his goal is to eliminate all cars this same yearwhich would bring forward the end of the concessions by a decade.

Surprise to start 2025. 2025 has started with a surprise in the capital of the Costa del Sol. A few days ago, during the Debate on the State of the Cityits mayor announced that he wants this to be the last year in which horse-drawn tourist buggies roll through the municipality. And it was not limited to expressing a wish or a simple declaration of intentions. De la Torre revealed that the City Council is already negotiating with the coachmen who remain in the city.

What exactly did he say? His speech It can be consulted in full on the Consistory’s website. And it’s pretty clear. “We have set ourselves the goal of completing the amortization of the licenses for the horse-drawn passenger transport service this year,” he says. the document. “There are 25 left and we are in talks with the owners to compensate them, since their concessions have almost 11 years of life left.”

Animal welfare and image. The councilor goes further and give the reasons why the City Council wants to dispense with a service that, in reality, has been losing weight in the city over time. “We take this step thinking about the well-being of animals and the image that the city offers to the world. In 2025 there are much more efficient and respectful ways to move.” In case there were any doubts, De la Torre remembered that Málaga is already working on an electric bike loan service to reach 1,000 and more than 100 stations.

“The sooner the better”. The important thing in the councilor’s announcement is not so much the substance as the tempo. That horse-drawn carriages have their days numbered in Malaga is actually nothing new. In 2018 elDiario.es published a report about the precariousness of stables, animals and workers, in 2023 Ciudadanos (C’s) presented a motion to eliminate the service and just five months ago, during an interview With the Efe agency, De la Torre himself admitted that the idea was to put an end to the carriages “the sooner the better.”

The key: when. Although that was the slogan (eliminate the service as soon as possible), the reality is that the coachmen who continue to work in Malaga do so thanks to licenses that still have years of validity left. In 2015 An ordinance was approved that contemplated that the permits would remain in force for two decades, meaning that they would not expire until 2035.

However, De la Torre assured in August that he had encountered “a certain receptivity” among the drivers to reach a consensus. The question remained as to how on track the talks were and, above all, when the buggies could be removed from the streets of Malaga. The surprise came when a few days ago the councilor revealed that the City Council intends for the service to be abolished now this yeara decade before licenses expire.

And under what conditions? That is the great unknown. in summer the mayor I remembered that the 2015 regulation was accompanied by a plan to rescue concessions. And it doesn’t seem to have gone badly for him. If in their day they operated in Malaga 60 licenses and a decade ago there were 55 in force, today their number has been reduced considerably to remain at 25. The average price of the rescues has been around 35,000 euros, according to the data managed by Efe.

Going into detail. Media like ABC, SOUTH DIARY and Digital Freedom They say that a payment of 120,000 euros per license would be on the table. ABC even precise that the sum would be paid in two payments of 60,000. The professionals who exploit these 25 licenses and have responded to the press recognize However, there is something that worries them as much or more than compensation: their future work.

“I’ve been here since I was born, since 1998. I’m already 45 years old. Where are they going to want me?” he wonders one of those affected by the suppression of the service who also works with a license of which he is not the direct holder, as frequently happens in taxis. “I leave with one hand in front and one behind.” The mayor already has shown willingness to offer coachmen a training plan to find employment.

Crossover of arguments. The debate about the continuity (or not) of horse carriages is more complex. In fact, there are a good handful of arguments both for and against. Their supporters allege that there are dozens of families who live off the service, the horses are “well cared for” and they wonder what will happen to them once the service is discontinued. “What’s going to happen to them? They’re going to the slaughterhouse.”

Among the detractors, it is questioned the conditions in which the horses work or the image that the city conveys by maintaining the service and they argue, as De la Torre mentioned in his speech, that there are alternatives “more respectful” so that visitors get to know the urban area. To all this would be added a strictly practical matter: the high cost of cleaning and maintaining the streets, whose pavement ends up deteriorating due to horseshoes.

Losing ground. Whether you share one position or another, the truth is that horse-drawn carriages have been losing space in the capital of the Costa del Sol. SOUTH DIARY remember that a few years ago 60 licenses operated in the town with five stops spread throughout the urban center. Now less than half of the concessions operate and the drivers have only one stop, on the side of the Plaza de la Marina.

“This has been a lifelong part of Malaga and is demanded by many visitors. Not to mention that it is the cheapest way to get to know the city, since for 30 euros up to four people can travel,” claims a veteran.

And beyond Malaga? Malaga leaves the most recent and media example, but it is not the only city in which horse-drawn carriages continue to be used. In fact, what happened there has led some media to recall another upcoming case, the one from Sevillewhere a hundred licenses are maintained.

elDiario.es clarify that in the city of Seville the end of the service It’s not on the table and they specify that their coachmen have had a guide of good practices for months with “recommendations” and “special attention” so that the work is more bearable for the saddles, especially during hot summer days. In other cities, such as Barcelona, Palm, Marbella, Brussels either Cartagena de Indiasthere have already been moves in the past to eliminate them.

Images | Rachel Bickley (Flickr) and Mike McBey (Flickr)

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