Everyone has experienced that moment of panic when you realize you forgot a personal item on a plane, bus, train, taxi and in many cases, their Uber ride.
The Uber Lost & Found Index is a snapshot of our riders’ most commonly forgotten items, – from keys to chargers to wallets – and the most surprising items left behind. It also highlights which areas are most likely to forgetfulness, and which days of the week Uber riders tend to be most forgetful.
Phones and rings are the two most commonly forgotten items, with chargers and sunglasses rounding out the top 10. Riders have also left everything from licences and potted plants, to pool sticks and kites.
Coming in at the top list of the most forgetful cities in South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria is Cape Town.
The index also shows that Uber riders tend to be most forgetful on Sundays.
10 Most Commonly Forgotten Items in Ubers
1. Phone
2. Ring
3. Keys
4. Wallet
5. Glasses
6. Purse
7. License /ID
8. Gloves/ Glove
9. Charger
10. Sunglasses
50 Most Unique Items Forgotten in Ubers
1. Paintings
2. Diamond earring
3. Payslip
4. Guitar
5. Engagement Ring
6. Welcome Mat
7. School Papers
8. Chair
9. Laser
10. Nik Naks
11. Laptop Bag
12. Pool stick
13. Smoke Machine
14. Passports
15. Pearl Earrings
16. Wedding Outfit
17. Hard drive
18. Pram
19. Police Uniform
20. Fifty Shades of Grey Boxset
21. Panado
22. Braai
23. Meat boerewors pack
24. Bread board
25. Wooden Clog
26. Lottery ticket
27. Back massage device
28. Rose Tree
29. Mustard
30. Marketing 101 Textbook
31. Elf costume
32. Tap shoes
33. Expensive slipper
34. Harry Potter Glasses
35. Green Pesto
36. Kite
37. Super Hero Cape
38. Potted plant
39. iPad
40. Dog Jersey
41. Contact Lenses
42. Pink Floyd Vinyl
43. One Direction Concert Tickets
44. Arm sling
45. Cleaning Mop
46. Vacuum Cleaner
47. Jewelry Box
48. Money Bag
49. Violin
50. Umbrella
Most common days to report items as lost:
1. Sunday
2. Saturday
3. Friday
4. Monday
5. Thursday
6. Tuesday
7. Wednesday
Most forgetful days in 2016 (days items were reported as lost):
1. October 30
2. December 11
3. December 18
4. December 4
5. November 20
Items most commonly forgotten on each day of the week, compared to how frequently they’re reported as lost on the other days showed:
• On Sundays is the biggest spike in lost mobile phones.
• On Mondays is the biggest spike in lost skateboards.
• On Tuesdays is the biggest spike in lost swimsuits.
• On Wednesdays is the biggest spike in lost notebooks.
• On Thursdays is the biggest spike in lost suitcases.
• On Fridays is the biggest spike in lost briefcases.
• On Saturdays is the biggest spike in lost plane tickets.