These are the most bizarre items in Uber’s Lost & Found in Saudi Arabia

Written by:
Jumira Hancock
12th June 2023

From waffle makers to padel rackets…

Have you ever left your mobile phone behind in an Uber and panicked the moment you found out, only to realise the chances of getting it back are slim? Well, you’re not alone.

Uber has released its seventh annual “Lost & Found Index”, unveiling the most surprising and frequently misplaced items left behind by passengers in the past year. Wallets, phones, and keys topped the most commonly forgotten items list.

This year’s wide-ranging list includes other predictable belongings like clothing, backpacks, glasses, groceries, luggage, and devices like laptops, headphones and speakers. Meanwhile, the most unique lost items include a children’s bicycle, a waffle maker, a padel racket and a skating shoe.

In Saudi Arabia, Fridays ranked as the most forgetful days of the week, and the most common time to report lost items was 6pm. And for whatever reason, September 2nd, 2022, was the most common date to leave things behind.

The annual report aims to remind passengers how to retrieve their lost items using the Uber app. Despite what you may think, forgotten items don’t just disappear into the great Uber abyss. So, yes, there’s still hope for your waffle maker.

Here’s what to do

Just go into your Uber app, go to “Your Trips,” select the trip during which you lost an item, scroll down and tap “Find lost item”, and “Contact driver about a lost item”.

Then, you’ll be prompted to call the driver and arrange a pick-up. If your driver doesn’t answer, leave a detailed voicemail describing your item and the best way to contact you.

And if you lost your phone and are unable to sign into the app, you can be connected to support via webchat.

According to Norhen Ali, Head of Communications, Middle East and North Africa, Uber, “Thousands of items are left behind in vehicles requested via the Uber app each day, but if you lost your item in a vehicle, you’re in luck, because you can easily contact the driver to get your item returned. As you get going this summer, try to remember your belongings when you exit the backseat. In case you do lose your skating shoes or bicycle, Uber is always happy to help return those items.”