As we near the end of Mercury in Retrograde, which astrologists believe influences forgetfulness, we’re releasing the fourth annual Uber Lost & Found Index – a snapshot of what riders are leaving behind and, most importantly, tips to retrieve lost items using the Uber app. 

In 2019, phones, wallets, keys and bags once again topped the list of the most commonly forgotten items, with headphones, clothing, glasses and vapes following suit. In fact, we saw a more than 21% increase in lost AirPods from last year. But as we well know, riders aren’t just leaving the usuals behind – they’re forgetting everything from mice, to bubble machines, to guinea pig slippers and more.

As for the most forgetful cities in the U.S.? Lubbock, TX took the top spot, followed closely by Oxford, Mississippi. The Index shows folks across the U.S. are most forgetful on Fridays and Saturdays, and late at night. And holidays continue to haunt the forgetful: once again, we saw that some of the most forgetful days of the year were January 1 (New Year’s Day), October 27 (Halloween weekend), and March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day) – which is right around the corner!

The full results are below. Take a look – they may surprise you!

The 2020 Uber Lost & Found Index

The 10 Most Commonly Forgotten Items:

  1. Phone 
  2. Wallet 
  3. Keys
  4. Backpack / bag / purse
  5. Headphones 
  6. Clothing
  7. Glasses
  8. Vape / e-cig
  9. ID / license / passport
  10. Water bottle 

The 50 Most Unique Lost Items:

  1. Mice for my pet snake to eat
  2. A specimen cup from the doctor’s office
  3. Husband’s CPAP sleep machine
  4. A cooler of breastmilk
  5. A six pack of *much* needed toilet paper
  6. One fake cosmetic tooth and a skin colored retainer
  7. An apron from Krispy Kreme
  8. A cat paw print from the vet
  9. Keys with my dead dog’s dog tag with the name “Lucy” 
  10. Lanyard that says “virginity rocks”
  11. A boulder
  12. My wife’s weed
  13. Meat
  14. A bubble machine
  15. A purple suede weightlifting belt with blue stitching that says ‘FEARLESS’
  16. An oxygen tank
  17. A brown bag with a Nightmare Before Christmas costume, a Harry Potter wand and a Batman game
  18. Cat tarot cards
  19. Swarovski binoculars
  20. A coconut purse. Literally a black & white plaid coconut with a zipper and a string, ugly as possible. My ID and all my keys are in the coconut purse
  21. Jiu-Jitsu clothes and a towel
  22. The top part of my crutch
  23. A bedazzled tiny tube with an alien face in it
  24. Bag of three stuffed elves
  25. Sriracha themed high socks
  26. Little purple box with gold dental appliance (bottom grillz)
  27. Diamond cufflinks
  28. Gray dog tent with blue wee wee pads inside
  29. Game of Thrones wallet
  30. Bag of wigs
  31. A black leather choker with a silk chiffon piece
  32. My surfing helmet
  33. A special magnet gift for my grandfather in Poland
  34. A hard boiled egg and I don’t want it back
  35. Mustard-colored butt cushion
  36. Jerusalem Bible and a church picture
  37. Ouija board 
  38. Small spooky figurines 
  39. Cornhole bags for my cornhole set
  40. My pants and my sword
  41. A bag with Uggs and some curry powder
  42. Purple cup with a llama on it
  43. Guinea pig slippers
  44. A food processor 
  45. A gold colored Star Trek shirt & fake ears 
  46. Steam mop and a box of garbage
  47. A Ziploc containing approximately $12.00 in quarters
  48. An electric servo and a gray fuel pump
  49. A bag of onions & a cup of yogurt
  50. A white remote for an implanted stimulator

The 10 Most “Forgetful” Cities:

  1. Lubbock, Texas
  2. Oxford, Mississippi
  3. College Station, Texas
  4. Fresno, California
  5. Modesto, California
  6. Lawrence, Kansas
  7. St Cloud, Minnesota
  8. Columbus, Georgia
  9. Tallahassee, Florida
  10. Fayetteville, North Carolina

Most Forgetful Days / Times:

  • Uber riders are most forgetful on Fridays and Saturdays, and late at night.  
  • People are most forgetful at 6pm (the rush to commute home?), 11pm and midnight.
  • Once again, we saw that some of the most forgetful days of the year were January 1 (New Year’s) and October 27 (Halloween weekend), and this year, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day, and the most popular day to ride) made it into the top most forgetful days.

Lost items that peak on certain days:

  • People are most likely to forget a stroller on Mondays
  • People are most likely to forget their passport on Tuesdays
  • People are most likely to forget jewelry on Wednesdays
  • People are most likely to forget their ID on Thursdays
  • People are most likely to forget cash on Fridays
  • People are most likely to forget a bag on Saturdays
  • People are most likely to forget a bible on Sundays

2020 Lost Item Trends:

  • Color me forgetful. Riders tend to leave red and blue items behind most often, with pink, green and purple items being forgotten frequently, too. Mustard and violet colored items are left behind least often! 
  • Luxury left behind. We see our riders leave luxury Louis Vuitton items in Ubers far more often than Prada, YSL and Chanel. Folks hang onto their Fendi and Hermes products 🙂
  • Key findings. Keys are the third most forgotten items left behind in Ubers. But what brands do we see lost the most? BMW keys top the list, followed by Honda, Jeep and Toyota.
  • AirPods astray. Headphones also made the top ten list of most forgotten items, with AirPods showing up again and again. From a lost right pod to the case itself, we saw a more than 21% increase in lost AirPods since last year.
  • Cash is king. While folks leave all types of money behind – checks, credit cards, bags of coins – we see cash left behind quite often. Folks tend to forget $100 most often, but we’ve seen riders forget $4,000 and even $9,000 in cash!

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.