*By Jacqueline Corba*
Dockless bikes [hit the streets](https://www.limebike.com/blog/lime-in-nyc-dock-free-bikes-smart-mobility-rockaways) of the outer-boroughs of New York City on Friday, another big milestone in the exploding popularity of dockless bikes and e-scooters.
It's also another big step for Lime, the San Mateo, Calif., startup that has [rapidly pushed into 70 markets](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-limes-bikes-will-survive-new-yorks-urban-jungle) in the U.S. and overseas.
Caen Contee, Lime's Vice President of Marketing, Business Development, and International Expansion, told Cheddar that entering the New York City market will be a test it needs to pass in order to further expand.
"We are really looking to grow into the boroughs, and prove how we can ultimately service larger areas," said Contee.
Lime is part of a pilot program organized by the city's Department of Transportation to test the concept of dockless bike-sharing. Unlike the current Citi Bike programs where people have to use designated stands to gain access to and deposit bikes, the dockless system allows people to locate bikes with an app and then leave them anywhere. Other start-ups participating in the [pilot program include Jump, Ofo, Motivate, and Pace.](http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pr2018/pr18-039.shtml)
Contee said while the program is starting only in the Rockaways, it won't prevent people from riding the Lime bikes to Manhattan. But, Lime will track bikes down through GPS and return them into the approved zone in Queens. Contee said he couldn't predict when dockless bikes would be available throughout New York City.
This launch comes on the heels of Lime announcing a massive $335 million round of financing from investors including Alphabet's GV, Fidelity, and Uber.
Uber will also become a strategic partner with Lime, and with Lime bikes and scooters being integrated into the Uber app. Contee said Lime is still working out details on the user experience.
"Ultimately you are going to be able to find and unlock a Lime. As to what that experience is, we are still determining that," said Contee. "Uber will be another opportunity for you to see what is available and compare it against other options."
Contee said the new funding round will help the start-up meet the demand the Uber partnership will ultimately bring Lime.
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/lime-brings-dockless-bikes-to-new-york-citys-outer-boroughs)
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
You'll just have to wait for interest rates (and prices) to go down. Plus, this deal's a steel, the big carmaker wedding is off, and bribery is back, baby!
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
William Falcon, CEO and Founder of Lightning AI, discusses the ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and how everyday people can use AI in their lives.
