Omaha, Nebraska is often recognized for hosting the College World Series, but as Parking and Mobility Manager Hannah Adeponu proudly states, the city is so much more. With a growing metro area, a revitalized downtown, and a commitment to modernizing infrastructure, Omaha is proving itself a leader in municipal innovation, rethinking everything from compliance and rate strategies to how parking payments are processed across the curb.
The Challenge: Unifying Parking, Enforcement, and Payments
Before partnering with Passport, Omaha managed on-street and off-street parking separately, overseeing more than 4,600 metered spaces and an additional 5,700+ off-street spaces. This siloed approach made it difficult to efficiently track revenue, enforce compliance, and streamline financial operations. The city needed a cohesive solution to unify its parking ecosystem and improve visibility overall.
The Solution: A Comprehensive Approach with Passport
Omaha’s partnership with Passport began in 2014 with the Park Omaha app. Shortly after, the city adopted Passport’s enforcement solution, followed by the transition to Passport Payments in 2019. Consolidating payments, enforcement, and mobile transactions into one system gave the city greater financial control and operational efficiency.
The Results: Clearer Processes, Smarter Decisions
With Passport Payments, Omaha processes approximately over 120,000 transactions each month, giving the city greater visibility into its revenue and day-to-day operations. The team uses Passport’s back-office tools to pull and compare reports, supporting both daily and monthly reconciliation. This flexibility has helped the city identify discrepancies, validate deposits, and better manage vendor relationships.
Downloadable reports have become part of the team’s routine. As Adeponu explains, they’re simple but essential: “Our staff use them on a daily basis.”
The city has also seen minimal chargebacks and appreciates having both local and app-based customer service options available to resolve payment issues quickly. Most failed transactions stem from user-side errors, like expired cards or device issues, rather than system faults.
“We’ve worked data analysis into our processes,” says Adeponu. “Why collect data if you don’t use it?”
Beyond the day-to-day, Omaha uses Passport Payments data to support quarterly reviews, guide operational planning, and strengthen decision-making across its parking program. These tools play a central role in the city’s larger goal of building a more data-driven operation.
A Partnership Built on Innovation
For the City of Omaha, partnering with Passport has been about more than just parking – it’s been about building smarter systems that serve both staff and community. With greater visibility into payments, more efficient reconciliation, and a reliable team to support evolving needs, Omaha continues to raise the bar for municipal innovation.
“We’re working really hard to create a meaningful platform to manage our environment efficiently,” says Adeponu. “That’s something we should be recognized for.”
This forward-thinking mindset positions Omaha as more than just a stopover or a sports destination. As Hannah puts it, “We’re not just any flyover city.” Omaha is setting the standard for how cities can use payments and technology to drive meaningful progress.