From puppies to liquor, Uber reveals what Indian passengers have lost in cabs  

Forgetting keys and wallets in a cab or auto rickshaw is nothing new. But forgetting a puppy, or a bank cheque for lakhs of rupees is definitely not just weird, but also risky. Apparently, Indian passengers have some strange records, according to cab aggregator platform Uber, which today introduced Lost & Found India Index, a list of the most frequently and most surprisingly ‘lost and found’ items by Uber riders in India.

As per the index, phones and rings are the two most commonly forgotten items, along with chargers and sunglasses. Surprisingly, there have been instances where riders have also left behind bullet-proof vests, cricket bats, potted plants, pool sticks, kites, and even puppies.

The index cites Bengaluru as the most forgetful city in India, followed by New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. The index has found that lost items are reported the most on Saturday, Friday, and Sunday. In 2016, the day that saw the maximum items reported as lost in India was – unsurprisingly – New Year’s Eve. December was also the month in which maximum items were reported as lost in India.

Curiously, a cheque worth Rs 15 lakh, puppies, expensive watches, and cabbages are among the items forgotten. Among the items more often lost are phones, keys, wallets, licenses, sunglasses, and chargers.

“Everyone has experienced that moment of panic when you realise you forgot a personal item on a plane, bus, train, and in many cases, your Uber. To acknowledge Uber’s most forgetful riders, and to prepare for Mercury falling into Retrograde in just over a week, we’ve created The Uber Lost & Found Index. Through this data and rider insight-backed index, we want to bring the riders attention to the options available to them in case they lose something in an Uber, in a fun and playful manner,” said Christian Freese, General Manager, Bengaluru, Uber India.

Uber also provides facilities to get the lost items back through their app itself. If you lost your personal phone, enter a friend’s phone number instead and you will be connected to the driver. If your driver confirms that your item has been found, coordinate a mutually convenient time and place to meet for its return to you. If you are unable to connect with the driver, use ‘in-app support’ to report the loss and the Uber Support Team will get in touch.