The weirdest and most wonderful things left behind in Uber cars last year

There’s no feeling quite like that split second when you reach into your pocket or your bag only to realise that you’ve lost your phone, wallet, keys… or your hard-boiled egg.

Ride-sharing company Uber last week published its fourth annual lost-and-found index, reporting everything from the most common to the weirdest items that were left behind in Uber cars last year.

In our busy lives rushing between meetings or hurrying to dinner with friends, leaving things behind is easy to do — even for the most organised among us. It never gets any less frustrating.
An attractive black businesswoman on the town

According to Uber, some of the most forgetful times of the week appear to be on weekends, evenings around 6 p.m. and the day after big party days like New Year’s Day and St Patrick’s Day.

Additionally, the company detailed that these are the 10 items that are most likely to be left behind in an Uber:

Phone
Wallet
Keys
Backpack/bag/handbag
Headphones
Clothing
Glasses
Vape/e-cig
Driving license/passport
Water bottle

Nothing shocking there, right? Well, there are some items that don’t feature quite as high as the top-10 but still are regularly left behind in Ubers. For example, Louis Vuitton is the most commonly forgotten luxury brand, while in the car-key category, the most likely set of keys that are found left in Ubers belong to drivers of BMWs. British Airways lost and found

That all seems pretty normal and what you’d expect, but the ride-share company also reported some very unique items that have been left behind in the past year. Some of my personal favourites are: “A coconut purse. Literally a black and white plaid coconut with a zipper and a string, ugly as possible”, “bag of three stuffed elves” and “a hard-boiled egg and I don’t want it back”. British Airways lost property

How to retrieve lost items

Uber has tried to make retrieving lost items as quick and easy as possible. The company even created a video that goes through a step-by-step guide of what to do.

First things first — if it wasn’t your phone that you lost — call the driver immediately as you realise that you’ve left something behind. You can also log in to your account through a computer if you did indeed leave your phone.

There are eight steps to follow to help you to be reunited with your lost item:

Click “Your Trips” and find the trip where you lost your time
Click “I lost an item”
Click “Contact driver about a lost item”
Enter the phone number that you would like to be contacted on and click “Submit”
Enter a friend’s number if you lost your own phone
Your phone will ring and connect you directly to your Uber driver’s phone
If your driver picks up and confirms that your item is in their Uber, coordinate a mutually convenient time for the item to be returned
If your driver doesn’t pick up, leave a voicemail with details of the item and how best to get in touch with you