These are the things most commonly lost in Uber cabs and how to retrieve them

Johannesburg: We’ve all been there – that sinking feeling when you realise you’ve misplaced something valuable like a wallet, keys or a cellphone.

With the rising popularity of e-hailing services such as Uber and Bolt, it’s inevitable that passengers are going to leave things in these cars. In fact, it’s such a common occurrence that Uber has devised a system to help trace and retrieve lost items.

Uber has just released its sixth annual Lost & Found Index, which lists the most commonly forgotten items in the country.

It’s no surprise that cellphones top the list, followed by keys and wallets/purses. Next up are glasses and power banks.

Groceries made sixth place on the list, followed by hats, water bottles, clothing and vaping devices. The most valuable item was a Ruby Gold Watch.

South Africans even forget baby items, with the most commonly lost items being nappies (unused, we hope), as well as baby formula and prams.

The most forgetful cities, Uber says, are Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, in that order, and the days of the week when riders are most forgetful are Mondays and Tuesdays. We can certainly understand Mondays…

How to retrieve your lost items

Uber says the best way to retrieve a lost item is to call the driver, but if, as luck has it, the item you lost is your phone, you can log in to your account on a computer.

Tap “My 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 on. 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).