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Returning for its sixth edition, Uber Hong Kong’s Lost & Found Index reveals a wide assortment of items – ranging from the everyday to the bizarre – that Uber riders are leaving behind. However, forgetful riders need not despair, as Uber works hard to cater to all its users’ needs, from getting a comfortable ride at their fingertip, to offering an in-app function that helps riders locate and facilitate the retrieval of their belongings. 

This year, fashion was the biggest victim, with clothing continuing to dominate the index. The Y2K trend tightened its grip on the city’s fashionistas, and skinny scarves, chokers, scrunchies, and sparkly necklaces and rings littered back seats long after their style-conscious owners had alighted. A more necessary clothing item also made an appearance on the top 10 list – shoes. Perhaps some riders sank too fully into the luxury of their ride, kicking off their sandals and leaving without them in a zen daze. 

As in previous years, Hong Kongers continue to trust Uber when it comes to transporting their accompanying precious cargo. Juggling babies, toddlers, dogs, and cats can make anyone forgetful – causing preoccupied riders to frequently misplace toys for kids and dogs, strollers, stuffed animals, and baby clothes while exiting their ride.  

Apart from these more run-of-the-mill items, riders temporarily parted ways with some more unusual fare: time, invaluable gifts from a deceased father, fertilizers. One rider reported losing “a whole Sunday” in an Uber, another abandoned their Tamagotchi, leaving their digital pet to fend for itself.

From the abstract to the essential, business and leisure travellers using Uber Reserve for a seamless journey to the airport have reported losing travel must-haves like passports and credit cards – try catching a flight without those! Important and expensive tech items, including laptops, AirPods, and AirPods cases, were also pervasive on the top 10 list, habitually lost in the city’s most “absent-minded” districts: Yau Tsim Mong, Central, and Wan Chai.

We’ve all experienced that moment of panic when we’ve left behind something costly or sentimental, only to realise the chance of getting it back is slim. The Uber app offers riders peace of mind, with a lost-and-found function that’s easy to navigate. Through Uber, riders can connect with their drivers to locate and facilitate the retrieval of  lost items, follow the steps below on the Uber app: 

  1. Tap “Your Trips” and select the trip where you left something behind. 
  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, and 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 logging in from a friend’s phone).
  6. The 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 in the vehicle, coordinate a mutually convenient time and place to meet for its return to you.
  8. If your driver doesn’t pick up, leave a detailed voicemail describing your item and the best way to contact you.