Ten live lobsters, 175 Shake Shack burgers, a urinal, a Viking drinking horn. This jumble has one thing in common: they are all part of Uber’s 2024 Lost & Found list. Precise and detailed, the list groups together everyday items as well as the more bizarre ones reported by drivers, also identifying the days and times when there were the most finds, the city with the most forgetfulness–namely New York, followed by Miami and Chicago–and other trends and curiosities.
For example, among the most forgotten “normal” items are keys, wallets, passports, eyeglasses and about 1.7 million phones. Of the 50 most “unique” things, as Uber’s index defines them, the most striking are: a doll with human hair, the foam inserts of a strapless bra, a DNA testing kit, 15 hookahs, a bouquet of 100 red roses, a DJ mixer, Hannah Montana merchandise, and a sewing machine.
According to Uber’s data, gloves were mostly forgotten on Monday, jackets on Tuesday, medicines on Wednesday, umbrellas on Thursday and Friday, cowboy hats on Saturday, and credit cards on Sunday. The day with the most forgotten items of the year was October 26, which is the Saturday before Halloween. Among the most bizarre food and drink finds were: 100 chicken wings, 108 eggs, 24 cans of corn and 5 cans of pickles, an 18-package of Corona beer, a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila, and a case of White Claw hard seltzer. And still there are also musical instruments, toys, luxury items, jewelry and makeup. The full list is here.
Some of these things were returned to the consignors, others were distributed at an event in Manhattan. “Whether these items are essential or completely unusual,” reads a release signed by Uber’s vice president of operations and general manager of US&C mobility, Camiel Irving, ”we understand how important it is to reconnect with what has been lost. The Uber Lost & Found index celebrates the most unique and the most commonly forgotten, reminding users that getting assistance to recover their most prized possessions is simple through the Uber app.”
At the bottom of the list, the car sharing company explained all the steps needed to recover a lost item using the app. By reporting the trip where it was lost, the driver can be contacted directly.
