A passport program launched by the City of Omaha to encourage shopping and dining along the streetcar construction route is struggling to gain traction, with multiple business owners reporting little to no participation after several weeks.
The program invites customers to visit businesses along the streetcar line, collect stickers in a passport booklet, and potentially earn prizes, including staycation packages, date nights, and coffee dates donated by the city's streetcar construction partners.
However, businesses report minimal engagement. At Corky Canvas in Midtown, manager Nick Walker said he has only had one person participate in the program.
"I personally have only had one person get a sticker and sign, and it was someone who was part of the Visit Omaha group for their Christmas party, but we haven't had any new foot traffic," Walker said.
Downtown at Block 16, owner Paul Urban reported zero participation.
"It's not helping at all, and we all knew it wouldn't," Urban said. "It's a bit of a slap in the face. It's not helping any business around here. Nobody's using it."
Urban expressed frustration with the program. Instead, he is looking for direct financial assistance to businesses facing challenges from ongoing construction. However, City of Omaha Public Works Media Relations Manager Alyssa Smith explained that state law prevents the city from providing direct cash payments to private businesses.
"We understand that the passport is not going to be life changing or necessarily pay payroll for people and that people would like more of a financial contribution unfortunately the state constitution does not allow the city to provide cash money that everyone would like directly to private entities," Smith said.
Smith acknowledged the need for better promotion and said the city plans to increase participation through enhanced social media marketing and email campaigns. She also encouraged businesses to promote the program on their own social media platforms.
Walker, whose Corky Canvas location will soon be surrounded by construction as Farnam Street closes east and west of the business, believes the program could succeed with more city promotion.
"I'm happy to do anything to attempt to bring up business, but advertising someone else's program that people aren't coming in is not gonna be functional for us," Walker said. "I feel like the city could put a little more oomph into what they're doing."
The passport program will run through the end of March. Additionally, the city will begin hosting weekly office hours every Wednesday morning from 8 to 10 AM along the corridor, starting January 14th at Homegrown, where business owners and residents can ask questions directly.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
