Have you ever forgotten an item in the back of a taxi or Uber? Most likely, if you have, it was a phone or a wallet and hopefully you were able to get it back! While forgetting a purse, phone, or jacket is relatively common sometimes people leave behind the most unbelievable items. Luckily for us, Uber records all of these items and shares them in their annual “Lost and Found Index”!
This is Uber’s seventh year compiling their lost and found data, and they have highlighted “which cities were most forgetful, which times of day and days of the week riders forgot items most, and global forgetfulness trends.” As we suspected, clothing, phones, keys, and wallets were the most frequently forgotten items but some of the most unusual items found in the back of an Uber were a unicycle, fog machine, and six cheesecakes!
Before we get to the Lost and Found Index, we wanted to remind our readers of the steps to take if you have accidentally left something behind in an Uber. First, the best course of action once you realize you have left something behind is to call the driver. However, if your phone is your lost item and you are unable to call, login to your Uber account and follow these steps:
- Tap the menu icon to open the main menu.
- Select “Your Trips” and then the trip on which you lost the item.
- Tap “Find lost item” and then “Contact driver about a lost item.”
- Enter your phone number to call the driver.
- If your driver picks up and confirms that your item has been found, coordinate a mutually convenient time and place to meet for its return to you.
- If your driver doesn’t pick up, leave a detailed voicemail describing your item and the best way to contact you.
- And remember to be considerate, the driver’s schedule will be affected by taking time to return your item to you.
The full 2023 Uber Lost & Index is below. Take a browse, it is quite hilarious!
2023 Uber Lost and Found Index (Originally posted on Uber.com)
The 10 most commonly forgotten items:
- Clothing
- Phones
- Backpacks and purses
- Wallet
- Headphones
- Jewelry
- Keys
- Books
- Laptop
- Watches
The 10 most “forgetful” cities:
- Jacksonville, FL
- San Antonio, TX
- Palm Springs, CA
- Houston, TX
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Miami, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Indianapolis, IN
- Kansas City, KC
- St. Louis, MO
The 50 most *unique* lost items:
- Danny DeVito Christmas ornament
- MY DOG IS IN THE CAR!!! A toy poodle.
- Blue cap that says ‘i love the smell of jet fuel in the morning’
- Fog machine
- Fire swords
- Some bowling rags
- Ankle monitor
- My unicycle
- 16 oz of fake blood
- A printer and remote-controlled vibrator
- A pin with Jesus holding slice of pizza
- Small camping stove and my funeral pamphlets
- Stainless steel gua sha tool
- Cat collar that says ‘Maui’ on it
- My calculator and my tacos
- Small stone carved whales
- Sentimental green pen
- Statue of Liberty green foam crown
- A lightsaber
- Tamagotchi, light blue, egg shaped. And nuts.
- My hamsters are in her car
- Hermes scarves
- 1/2 a gallon of Fireball
- Mannequin wig head
- 6 cheesecakes
- My happy sauce
- Britney spears fantasy perfume
- ‘Taming of the Shrew’ by Shakespeare
- 2 fingernails
- A fire sword.
- Two painted rat traps
- Tattoo ink and gold antlers
- A power of attorney document issued by Turkish consulate
- 2 Pet Turtles
- Packets and bundles of fake hair
- I lost my girlfriend
- Bidet
- lotion and chicken wings
- I left a slab of bluefin tuna for sushi on the floorboard of the back seat.
- One Gucci loafer
- Rash cream
- An important pregnancy test
- Self-respect, mostly.
- A feather
- Foley catheter insertion tray kit
- Slushy machine
- Paintings of my wife
- Weight loss surgery guide
- Horns and a viking helmet
- My friends fake tooth
2023 Lost & Found trends:
- Lost in the magic: Forget finding Dory, Disney and Harry Potter fans need to find their belongings! This year we saw a significant spike in lost Disney and Harry Potter items, especially Minnie ears, lightsabers, Disney Magic Bands and of course, magic wands!
- We(e)’d like you to remember your items: From bags of weed to pre-rolls and pens – medicinal and recreational – we’ve seen a “high” increase in forgotten ganja goods.
- Gaming on the go: The Nintendo Switch was the #1 lost gaming device this year, with more than 70 Switch devices lost. Don’t forget your device while you’re gaming on the go!
- Much to chatter about: False dentures and teeth continue to take the biggest bite out of our top lost items year-over-year. This year, more than 40 instances of misplaced pearly whites were reported, but we’ve seen a decline in diamond grills!
- The 5th of April forgetfulness: April 5, 2022 was the most common day of the year for forgotten items, with nearly 1,000 lost item reports.
- Cold shoulders: Shawls have been one of the top clothing items left behind this year, with more than 30 riders forgetting these garments. Don’t give yourself the cold shoulder by leaving a shawl behind!
- Uber X-Rated: Passengers got “lost in the moment” this year and left a few *private* items behind – including an entire pack of underwear, condoms, and some sex toys.
- Misplaced paw-sengers: Pet owners love to bring their furry (and not-so-furry!) friends along for a ride. So much so that this year, some passengers accidentally forgot their pet companions in their Uber, including dogs, turtles, hamsters, and even a rat! But not to worry, these pets were safely reunited with their humans.
- Egg-scuse me, have you seen my eggs?: With the recent egg shortage, it’s no yolk that eggs became a hot commodity. This past year, we saw an uptick in reports from riders who left behind their precious eggs and wanted to get their egg-cellent cargo back.
Riders around the world left behind unique items… in fact:
- Forgetful Canadians reported losing everything from a bed sheet to an Apple pen to a bathroom shelf.
- Riders in Taiwan left behind a gift box that looks like an egg yolk, a black belt, a blood pressure machine, a light yellow dolphin puppet, and dog food.
- Londoners lost some pesto, a plastic halloween sword, ankle splints and a jet washer.
- French folks left behind a breast pump, Peugeot car keys, a New York City hat.
- Riders in Mexico report forgetting 2 French presses, a Paw Patrol toy, tons of corn and a shampoo.
- Brazilians left behind 3 packages of chicken, Nike sneakers and a computer mouse.
- Riders in Saudi Arabia seem to have forgotten a bag of rice, a large diamond earring and vapes.
- Costa Rican riders report forgetting an orange bag with a unicorn kangaroo inside, a scooter, a quilt and a very important black sweater.
Most forgetful days / times:
- In the U.S., some of the most forgetful days of the week are Saturday and Sunday. Don’t take away from your weekend relaxation by forgetting your valuables!
- April seems to be the most forgetful month for Americans, with April 5 and April 9 as the most forgetful days of the year. Coming in at third is New Year’s Day, as folks recover from ringing in a new year.
- And the most common time of the day to report lost items is 11:00pm, as some are either just ending their day or just beginning their night.
Lost items that peak on certain days:
- People are most likely to forget chargers on Mondays.
- People are most likely to forget keys on Tuesdays.
- People are most likely to forget wallets on Wednesdays.
- People are most likely to forget cash on Thursdays.
- People are most likely to forget watches and jewelry on Fridays.
- People are most likely to forget passports on Saturdays.
- People are most likely to forget groceries on Sundays.
