Plano Is So Hip

Plano joins hipster club of cities with intro of electric scooters

The scooters have landed.

Photo courtesy of Lime

Plano inches closer to the hipster zone by joining the elite list of cities with electric scooters. Lime will launch Lime-S, its new electric scooter, in Plano with a ceremony on November 19 at 3 pm at Haggard Park in old downtown Plano.

Lime was the first and only company to apply for and receive a permit from the City of Plano for its bikes in July 2018. Last week, the Plano City Council passed an ordinance to allow scooters, and Lime is on the case. Representatives will be there to demonstrate scooters, offer rides, and answer any questions.

Lime representative Sam Sadle says in a release that they're pleased to have Plano on board.

"We worked with the City of Plano to launch our bikes, and we're pleased to add our scooters, now that the city council has added this mobility solution to its new ordinance," Sadle says. "With the addition of Lime-S, we are providing affordable, space-efficient, and environmentally friendly mobility options that other cities have."

Lime-S costs $1 to unlock and $0.15 for every 1 minute of riding, and riders are instructed to abide by scooter laws upon unlocking the scooter. All scooters are GPS and 3G-enabled, making it simple for riders to find, unlock, and pick up a nearby vehicle using a smartphone. When the ride is finished, riders simply "end the ride" in the Lime mobile app and responsibly park by the street curb, or at a bike rack.

To make sure the scooters are parked responsibly, Lime collects them daily, charging them and redistributing them in approved areas so that they are on the sidewalks fully charged, maintained, and ready to be ridden everyday.

This also helps ensure that they are placed upright and parked responsibly, do not block pedestrian right-of-way, or obstruct any sidewalks or roadways. All that's left is to remove idiotic car drivers from the roads entirely but that is obviously something not within Lime's purview.

Lime is the largest American smart mobility solution provider. It has surpassed one million rides for its bikes and scooters since it launched in Dallas in August 2017.

Realizing the importance of scooters and bicycles coexisting safely with cars, Lime created a $3-million "Respect the Ride" campaign, which includes helmet distribution, product enhancement, safety brand ambassador program, and an ad campaign.

More than 75,000 riders have signed the pledge and will receive free Lime helmets in the mail for showing their support. Over the next six months, Lime will distribute a total of over 250,000 free helmets to riders across the globe.

Additionally, Lime continues to develop features that promote safe riding and encourage riders to use safe and responsible riding behavior. In-app, Lime has added safety tutorials and ID scanning in select cities. With its scooter, Lime has recently launched its Gen 3.0 scooter, which has features designed around safety, including bigger wheels, better suspension for bumps and an added brake.

innovation begins here

Texas ranks as 3rd best state for new businesses in 2026

Texas is chugging along as an innovative state.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Texas has climbed back into the top three for the first time since 2023.

High employment growth and advantageous entrepreneurship rates have led Texas into a No. 3 spot in WalletHub's just-released ranking of "Best and Worst States to Start a Business" for 2026.

Texas bounced back into the No. 3 spot nationally for the first time since 2023. After dropping into 8th place in 2024, the state hustled into No. 4 last year.

Ever year, WalletHub compares all 50 states based on their business environment, costs, and access to financial resources to determine the best places for starting a business. The study analyzes 25 relevant metrics to determine the rankings, such as labor costs, office space affordability, financial accessibility, the number of startups per capita, and more.

When about half of all new businesses don't last more than five years, finding the right environment for a startup is vital for long-term success, the report says.

Here's how Texas ranked across the three main categories in the study:

No. 1 – Business environment
No. 11 – Access to resources
No. 34 – Business costs

The state boasts the 10th highest entrepreneurship rates nationwide, and it has the 11th-highest share of fast-growing firms. WalletHub also noted that more than half (53 percent) of all Texas businesses are located in "strong clusters," which suggests they are more likely to be successful long-term.

"Clusters are interconnected businesses that specialize in the same field, and 'strong clusters' are ones that are in the top 25 percent of all regions for their particular specialization," the report said. "If businesses fit into one of these clusters, they will have an easier time getting the materials they need, and can tap into an existing customer base. To some degree, it might mean more competition, though."

Texas business owners should also keep their eye on Dallas, which was recently ranked the 3rd best U.S. city for starting a new business. Several neighbors around Dallas have also been hailed as top U.S. career hotspots with the best environments for tech workers. Workers in Texas are the "third-most engaged" in the country, the study added, a promising attribute for employers searching for the right place to begin their next business venture.

"Business owners in Texas benefit from favorable conditions, as the state has the third-highest growth in working-age population and the third-highest employment growth in the country, too," the report said.

The top 10 best states for starting a business in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Florida
No. 2 – Utah
No. 3 – Texas
No. 4 – Oklahoma
No. 5 – Idaho
No. 6 – Mississippi
No. 7 – Georgia
No. 8 – Indiana
No. 9 – Nevada
No. 10 – California

innnovation texas wallethub rankings best states business