Lost & Found: What Romanians leave behind in their Ubers

No matter if you believe in astrology or not, Mercury in Retrograde is set to begin at the end of May once again, and it really doesn’t forgive anyone. On the contrary, it makes us forget. What a better time to announce that Uber continues its tradition and releases the fifth annual Lost & Found Index?

This Index provides an overview of riders’ most commonly forgotten items and most unique lost items – from keys and phones, to unicorn tails and pinatas. It also highlights the most forgetful cities, which times of day and days of the week folks forget items most, and of course, tips on how to reunite them with their favorite lost items.

To top it all up, Bucharest is the most forgetful city in the country and the fourth in Europe.

We have all been through the experience of leaving something important behind in a taxi, a plane, a bus or a train, and we know that it can be really hard to get it back.. Let’s see what people keep losing and take a moment to read about the most common and the not so common items left behind in Ubers each day, whose owners managed to get it back thanks to the app support.

Read more about

Uber celebrates 9 years in Romania. Trips with Uber reached 826 million kilometers

read more

The 10 Most Commonly Forgotten Items in Romania:

1. Phone or camera
2. Keys
3. Headphones
4. Backpack/bag/folders/box/luggage
5. Glasses
6. Wallet/purse
7. Clothing
8. Laptop
9. Water bottle/bottle/thermos
10. Cash

Most Forgetful Days/Times:

• Uber riders in Romania are most forgetful on Thursdays and Fridays, in the afternoon
• People are most forgetful at 3 pm, 5 pm or 1 pm

Lost items that peak on certain days:

• People are most likely to forget wallets or purses on Mondays
• People are most likely to forget clothing items on Tuesdays
• People are most likely to forget their headphones or speakers on Wednesdays
• People are most likely to forget their glasses on Thursdays
• People are most likely to forget their IDs/license on Fridays
• People are most likely to forget their phones/camera on Sundays

Top 5 Most Forgetful European Cities

1. London
2. Kyiv
3. Warsaw
4. Bucharest
5. Lisbon

The 20 most unique lost items on a global level 

1. A tooth. It was in someone’s pocket, and seems to have fallen out
2. 22 Bundt cakes and a pan of macaroni and cheese
3. Washing liquid
4. A nude corset
5. Part of an ankle monitor
6. FBI bullet proof vest
7. A cooler full of fish
8. Fresh shrimp
9. A rolled up poster held with an elastic band. It says “end this bummer” with endless summer artwork
10. A green dinosaur Halloween costume and a knife that is needed for job
11. Rabbit legs
12. Unicorn tail and a piñata
13. A framed Beauty and the Beast signed picture in a plastic case
14. Antique roller blades, Christmas plates & a cookie jar
15. The fur cover for someone’s knee scooter (because they broke their foot)
16. A toilet seat and welcome door sign shaped like a lemon with a blue ribbon on it
17. A sushi platter
18. Large painting of Kate Middleton and a small painting of the grim reaper
19. A little purple hair bonnet
20. A bath set and a sack of potatoes

How to retrieve lost items:

Thousands of items are left behind in Ubers each day, but if you lost your item in an Uber you’re in luck, because you can easily contact your driver to get your item returned. The best way to retrieve an item you may have left in a vehicle is to call the driver. Here’s how:

1. Tap “Your Trips” and select the trip where you left something
2. Scroll down and tap “Find lost item”
3. Tap “Contact driver about a lost item”
4. Scroll down and enter the phone number you would like to be contacted at. Tap submit.
5. If you lost your personal phone, enter a friend’s phone number instead (you can do this by logging into your account on a computer, or using a friend’s phone).
6. Your phone will ring and connect you directly with your driver’s mobile number.
7. 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.