Carriage companies compete for tourists’ business
As a city heralded for its cowboys and culture, one essential aspect of Fort Worth’s charm is the occasional clip-clop of hooves down Main Street.
Five carriage companies currently are licensed by the city’s Department of Transportation to serve Fort Worth and often can be seen waiting in front of the Worthington Hotel on weekends or weaving around traffic with bridal parties waving to passing cars.
Tracy Pratt is one businesswoman who capitalizes off tourists and local interest in horses, as an owner of Brazos Carriage Co. Pratt’s business is a recent addition to the companies that serve downtown. Brazos Carriage was established in 2004 and the business has been operating primarily in Granbury.
During Pratt’s previous experiences riding through Downtown for scheduled events, such as weddings or funerals, her interest was piqued as she saw the existing companies blossom off Downtown clientele.
“We’re not in a nasty competition by any means – there’s enough business to go around,” Pratt said. “The thing with Downtown is that we all have to distinguish ourselves as being the elite service next to the other guy.”
The Ground Transportation Coordinator for Fort Worth’s Department of Transportation, Jerald Taylor, said there is no limit to the number of companies that may operate in the area between Lancaster Avenue and Weatherford Street and between Henderson Street and Interstate 35W.
When Billie Cate, owner of Classic Carriages, started operating Downtown in 1987, Fort Worth was a one-horse – or carriage company – town. She applied to the city to create a parking spot in front of the Worthington Hotel where she and her horses could wait for customers without being hassled by traffic.
Now, Cate said the city deemed this spot a parking area for all carriage companies, which, she said, causes a crowded confusion for customers who can’t tell which buggy belongs to which company now that there are several companies.
Though some customers who hop into a carriage on a whim might not have a preference for a certain carriage company, Cate emphasized the importance of knowing who a client is riding with.
“This is not like choosing ice cream,” Cate said. “This is putting your family in a vehicle in high traffic with a live animal.”
While the city requires drivers to take a defensive driving course as well as a drug test and carriages to meet with inspection standards, Cate said customers should do some homework before going for a ride.
Taylor said he hasn’t heard any reports of accidents or customer complaints since he started in the Fort Worth transportation department in 2000.
“Carriages are required to be inspected annually and horses are required to have vaccinations, plus every so often a random carriage inspection might pop up,” Taylor said.
Still, Pratt said she looks forward to joining the carriage business Downtown and working the job she loves.
Tags: cars, cate, ford, job