Uber’s annual ‘Lost and Found Index’ gives peek into items forgotten by riders

Uber, the country’s leading ride hailing app, today released the 2023 edition of its Lost and Found Index for Sri Lanka. The annual list shares details of the frequent and unique things riders left behind in Ubers last year, and the times when riders were most forgetful.

From Chicken to Kithul Jaggery and Flour, Movie DVDs to Gold jewelry, iphone to water bottles, Sri Lankans really outdid themselves this year at leaving behind their personal belongings. Backed by data trends, Uber’s Lost and Found Index aims to educate riders in a fun yet informative manner about in-app options available to them at the tap of a button, in case they forget something at the back of their Uber.

Over the last year, phones, cameras, spectacles, backpacks, bags, purses, clothing, and groceries, topped the list of items left in Ubers across Sri Lanka most frequently. Items from popular global brands such as Apple iphones, Samsung smartphones, a Nike water bottle, and a Gucci handbag, were also left behind! Interestingly, there were twice the number of Android phones left behind as compared to Apple phones.

Commenting on the Index, Thanushika Sivanathan, Country Manager – Rides, Uber Sri Lanka, said, “We’ve all experienced the panic when you first realize that you’ve left an important or dear personal item in your last ride. With Uber, riders always have the option to get in touch and try retrieving their belongings.”

“This survey will make our riders laugh with data on everything from local food to baby shoes having been left behind, and will also remind them of the easy steps to follow on the Uber app to raise a retrieval request for a lost item. With a busy travel season ahead of us, we thought it was a good time for a quick refresher.”

Some highlights

● Sri Lankans were most forgetful on April 9 last year – maybe because of last-minute shopping rush before the Aluth Avurudda or the Sri Lankan New Year

● Evenings made people most forgetful. The hours after the work day, 5 pm to 8 pm, was the time that had the maximum instances of items being left behind

● Unsurprisingly, the weekend (Friday to Sunday) witnessed the most rides with left behind items in Ubers

Below is the snapshot of insights from Uber Lost and Found Index Sri Lanka 2023:

Top 10 most ‘unique’ lost items

1. Phone

2. Telephone Index Book

3. Gold Jewellery

4. Credit card

5. Movie DVDs

6. Wallet/purse/handbag

7. Baby Shoes

8. Chicken

9. Food (Kithul Jaggery and Flour)

10. Nike Water Bottle