• Pets, diamond bracelets and scooters – see what people are leaving in Ubers in the UAE
  • The 2020 Lost & Found Index is here and people are leaving behind the strangest items; Wednesday is when riders from the UAE are the most forgetful
  • Riders from the UAE were most likely to forget their phone/camera on a Friday and passports on Sunday 

Did you really leave your pet behind in your Uber? Well somebody did… 

As we head into the weekend, Uber is releasing the fourth annual Lost & Found Index, taking a look at what riders are leaving behind – and reminding them how to reunite with their favorite lost items. 

The annual Uber Lost & Found Index provides a snapshot of riders’ most commonly forgotten items as well as the most unique lost items. It also highlights which cities are most forgetful, which days of the week riders forget items most, and of course, tips on how to get lost items back using the Uber app.

In 2019, phones, wallets, keys and bags once again topped the list of most commonly forgotten items, with headphones and clothing following suit, but some fresh recruits including vapes and laptops, revealing interesting trends for 2020.  

People traveling or on vacation have been particularly forgetful this year, leaving everything from passports and backpacks to laptops and make-up bags behind – and that’s just to name a few. 

As we well know, riders aren’t just leaving the usuals behind – they’re forgetting everything from pets, to diamond bracelets, to scooters and more.

As for the most forgetful days, the Index shows riders in the UAE are most forgetful on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and during peak afternoon hours, but the most common hour is 3pm, followed by 9 AM, perhaps when heading to work. 

Below is Uber’s full 2020 Lost & Found Index, along with easy instructions on how riders can retrieve lost items. 

10 most commonly forgotten items in the UAE:

  1. Phone / Camera
  2. Purse / Wallet
  3. Backpack / Bags
  4. Glasses
  5. Headphones / Speaker
  6. Clothes
  7. Keys
  8. Vape
  9. Jewelry / Watches / Make-Up
  10. Laptop

10 most unique lost items in the UAE:

  1. Pet
  2. Diamond bracelet 
  3. Gold ring
  4. Baby stroller
  5. Kids rocking chair
  6. Scooter and helmet
  7. Skateboard
  8. A table
  9. Cake and gifts 
  10. Groceries

Most forgetful days / times: 

  1. Uber riders are most forgetful on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and in the afternoon at 3 PM.
  2. We saw that the most forgetful day of the year was March 29th in the UAE.

 The lost items that peak on certain days:

  1. People are most likely to forget books on Mondays and Wednesdays
  2. People are most likely to forget their IDs on Tuesday
  3. People are most likely to forget their water bottles/thermos on Thursday
  4. People are most likely to forget their phones/cameras on Fridays
  5. People are most likely to forget their phone chargers on Saturdays
  6. People are most likely to forget their passports on Sundays

How to retrieve lost items:

If you’re one of those people who left something behind, look no further than this video, which outlines the simple steps you can take the next time you leave something behind in your Uber. 

The best way to retrieve a lost item is to call the driver – but if you leave your phone itself in an Uber, you can login to your account on a computer. Here’s what to do:

  1. Tap “Your Trips” and select the trip where you left something
  2. Tap “I lost an 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 (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.
  8. If your driver doesn’t pick up, leave a detailed voicemail describing your item and the best way to contact you.