Uber has released the 9th edition of its Lost and Found Index, offering a quirky but insightful glimpse into the items most frequently left behind by riders in India. Topping the list this year is Mumbai, which has overtaken Delhi as the most forgetful city in the country.
Delhi, which had held the top spot for two consecutive years, now sits at number two. Meanwhile, Pune climbed two places to third, Bangalore dropped to fourth and Kolkata entered the top five for the first time.
While several metro cities competed for forgetfulness, Hyderabad stood out as the least forgetful city among India’s major urban hubs — a notable win for the City of Pearls.
Bags, Phones and Wallets: The Usual Suspects
As in previous years, bags, phones, wallets and earphones emerged as the most commonly forgotten items. Also on the list were spectacles, keys, clothing, laptops and even passports, perhaps reflecting the hustle and chaos of daily life and frequent travel. Uber’s data also pointed to Saturdays and evenings, particularly around 7 PM, as peak times for forgetfulness.
Beyond the usual fare, some uniquely Indian touches stood out in this year’s index. One rider forgot a wedding saree, another left behind a 25 kg container of cow ghee, while someone else misplaced a gold biscuit, losses that could easily derail a special occasion or a dinner plan.
Other offbeat items included a cooking stove, flute, hawan kund, wheelchair and even a hair wig.
Commenting on the Index, Shiva Shailendran, Director – Consumer and Growth, Uber India South Asia, said, “We’ve all been there – that facepalm moment when we realised we forgot a cherished belonging in a cab. At Uber, we’ve made it easy to retrieve lost items with just a few steps in our app. We appreciate the trust our riders place in us each time they choose Uber, and we believe it’s the perfect moment to offer a quick refresher on how to recover items left behind.”
Colorful Clues and Brand Bias
Interestingly, red-colored items were the most frequently forgotten, followed by blue and yellow. When it came to gadgets, Samsung users topped the list for most forgetful phone brand owners, followed by Apple and OnePlus users.
Uber’s data revealed that festive days saw the highest number of forgotten items, with August 3 (Shivratri), September 28 and May 10 (Akshay Tritiya) ranking as the top three. The weekend, particularly Saturday, saw a spike in misplaced belongings.
Lost Something? Here’s How to Get It Back
Uber has simplified the process of recovering lost items. Riders can head to the “Your Trips” section in the app, select the relevant ride, and report the issue. If the item is a phone, riders can enter a friend’s number to contact the driver. If coordination fails, Uber’s in-app support steps in to assist.