There's nothing worse than getting home or out to town and realising that you've left a phone or wallet, or keys in the backseat of your Uber, Ola or Didi, but sadly for many of us, it's a common occurrence.
But as it turns out, Kiwis have a penchant for leaving behind some slightly more unique items in their rideshares.
Uber today released its annual Lost and Found Index, revealing some of the most bizarre items riders have somehow forgotten.
Items on the list include a "mysterious purple toy", a blonde wig, a mop and even a walking stick with a snake's head on top, which an Uber spokesperson described as having "Malfoy vibes".
Kiwi musicians were also a super forgetful bunch with multiple instruments being left behind including a bongo drum, a DJ controller and a ukulele.
The index also revealed that Kiwis are the most forgetful on Friday and Thursday with the most common hours to lose items being between 9pm to 11pm - we wonder why that is?
The full list of quirkiest items lost in Ubers is below.
- A small mysterious purple toy about 3 or 4 inches in length
- A Pokemon Red Gameboy game
- A translator
- A GHD straightener
- A Bike
- A singular tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream
- A snare drum
- A colourful deck chair
- An electric scooter
- A DJ controller
- A mop
- A tramping stick
- A walking stick with a snake head on top (Malfoy vibes)
- An orthodontic mouth plate
- A ukulele
- A blonde wig
- A lime green skateboard
- An All Blacks jersey
- A large painting in a cardboard box
- A vacuum cleaner
- A singular birkenstock (the right side)
- A guitar
- The penguin history of New Zealand
- A bongo drum
- A small blue chilly bin with some prawns inside and a small dish
- A vinyl record of Kiwi band Soaked Oats "Sludge Pop"
- Small dentures
- A lamp
- An O.G. burger
- Pioneer DJ decks
- A poster for the band Tool.
- A James Charles makeup palette
- A badminton racket
- An NZ Navy officers cap
- Jenga
If you've lost a beloved item, the best way to retrieve a lost item is to call the driver – but if you leave your phone itself in the car, you can login to your account on a computer.
Here's what to do:
- Tap "Your Trips" and select the trip where you left something
- Tap "I lost an item"
- Tap "Contact driver about a lost item"
- Scroll down and enter the phone number you would like to be contacted at. Tap submit.
- 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).
- Your phone will ring and connect you directly with your driver's mobile number.
- 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.
These simple steps are outlined in this video, which you can refer to next time you think you've left something behind.
