 In 1867 Ezra <unk> , Andrew J. <unk> , and Augustus Kountze formed the Omaha Horse Railway Company to provide horsecar service in the city . By the late 1870s the line had five miles ( 8 km ) of track , 10 cars , 70 horses , 20 employees and 495 @,@ 000 passengers annually . The Omaha Cable <unk> Company was the city 's only cable car , and started in 1884 and ended in 1895 after consolidating with the Horse Railway as the Omaha Street Railway Company . In 1896 the new company disbanded as competitors moved in . An electric car was built by <unk> Benson between Omaha and Benson specifically to promote that suburbs development during this time . 
