Uber Lost and Found Guide (How it Works and Fees) [2020]

Uber has made many of our lives 100 times easier and more convenient. It has allowed us to save time and money in many places around the world and hopefully allowed a lot of people to make smarter decisions to stay off the road.

But with so many people using this technology to travel around (sometimes in questionable mental states) it is inevitable that many people will lose things during the process. 

In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about Uber lost and found. I’ll cover the steps you need to know for recovering your lost items and will also tell you what you can expect with regards to fees and phone numbers to call (or not call). Finally, I’ll show you some interesting data about the most common and unique lost items with Uber. 

Does Uber have a lost and found?

Yes, Uber does have a lost and found program.

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How does the Uber lost and found work?

The Uber lost and found program works pretty simple. You simply use the Uber app or website to get in touch with your driver and then coordinate delivery of your lost item while paying a small fee.

I’ll explain how the process works step-by-step below and also show you what to do in case you are missing your phone.

Uber lost and found process

The Uber lost and found process should be the same regardless of what city you’re located in. So whether you’re in New York, Dallas, San Francisco, etc., the steps below should apply to you. 

Contact the driver

The first thing that you want to do is to contact the Uber driver. If you lost something on a trip that somebody else requested then you will want to get that person to report the lost item through their own Uber app. 

Here is how you can initiate the process.

First, log into the app and then select on “Your Trips.”

Under Your Trips, you should see a tab that displays your past trips and that is where you can find your recent trips. Simply click on whatever trip it was that you lost the item on to proceed.

Now scroll down a little bit under the help tab and you should see a field that says “I lost an item.” Click on that to proceed. 

Next click on “contact driver about a lost item.”

Now you can scroll down to the bottom and enter a phone number where you can be contacted. Uber will then call the number that you entered and connect you with the driver.

If you are unable to get a hold of the driver simply leave a detailed voice mail describing the item that you lost and give them some of your contact information. If the item is super important to you then you should also try to explain the urgency for getting your item back as well. 

Keep in mind that the driver does not have your phone number until you give them it an a voicemail. Thus, if you really value your privacy and don’t like to give out your phone number you might see about giving a phone number to be reached somewhere else.

Coordinate delivery

If the driver does pick up the phone then confirm that they found the lost item and then decide on a mutually convenient time and place to coordinate the return. You really want to be considerate about this because you are asking that person to take time away from their work schedule to help you out. So try to be as accommodating to them as possible. 

If your item is returned there will be a $15 fee.

If you are putting the driver at a severe inconvenience or if they are very far away then you might consider offering them additional cash in order for them to make the return. You might also just request them to mail you the item if they are very far away or unable to meet you.

If you are unable to contact your driver within 24 hours than you can contact Uber to see what they can do to help. Basically, you’ll just need to input some details about the lost item and then Uber will take it from there.

Is Uber responsible for my lost items?

Neither Uber nor drivers are responsible for any items left in a vehicle when a trip ends. You might not like this policy but it actually makes a lot of sense. Forcing Uber or drivers to be responsible for lost items could open up the door for massive fraud/abuse on so many cases.

Imagine how many people would falsely state that they left something like a phone or iPad in a car when in actuality they never even owned one. If Uber or Uber drivers were responsible the floodgates would surely be wide open for claims like that.

Also, practically speaking, it could be very easy for someone else to hop in the back of the vehicle, find your item and not say anything to the driver. In that case, the driver would actually never have any idea that you lost the item. 

So while I don’t agree with a lot that Uber does, their lack of liability in this situation makes a lot of sense. 

Now I’m not exactly sure about the law and this could definitely vary by state. But once a driver has claimed that they have found your item and is on their way to deliver it they could potentially be held responsible for that item if they were negligent with their custody of the item. Just something to think about if the worst happened. [By the way this is not legal advice.]

What if I lost my phone?

If you do not have a phone to report your lost item through the app you can still do this online.

You can visit the website here and then sign in to proceed.

Just like in the case above you will need to enter a number that you can be contacted at. If you lost your phone then simply enter a family or friend’s phone number. Uber will call you and connect you with the driver and then you can work out the return situation if possible.

What is the Uber lost and found fee?

As mentioned, the Uber lost and found fee is $15. This fee is meant to compensate the driver for their lost time. 

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The most common lost items in the Uber Index

Uber actually publishes an index of all of the lost items and it is pretty interesting to see some of their data.

Here are the 10 most common forgotten items:

1. Phone
2. Camera
3. Wallet
4. Keys
5. Purse / Backpack
6. Clothing
7. Glasses
8. Headphones
9. Vape / E-cig
10. ID / License

It’s really no surprise to see that phones would be the number one lost item considering that you pretty much have to have that in order to use Uber. All of the other items are pretty standard too.

There’re also many unique items that are lost and here’s a list of 50 of those:

1. 8 week old coffee-colored Chihuahua
2. Black faux fur neck cuff in a size large
3. A photo of a New Years kiss
4. 6 chicken tenders from 7 Eleven
5. A black and white tuxedo for a small dog
6. Full set of 18k gold teeth
7. Professional grade hula hoop
8. Salmon head
9. Medium sized medical marijuana pipe
10. Birth certificate and social security card
11. Star Wars skateboard
12. Very important headband with peacock feathers
13. A propane tank
14. A tray of eggs
15. White leather snakeskin Louboutin heels
16. Lego championship wrestling belt
17. A pack of hair and a brown brush shaped like a foot
18. Ed Sheeran concert tank top
19. Breast pump with breast milk
20. Two packs of Italian sausage and a Thanksgiving ham
21. A shopping cart
22. Ancestry kit
23. Lotion and beard oil
24. Silver & peach colored Venetian masquerade mask
25. Small handmade cat puppet
26. Babe Ruth signed baseball
27. White gold wedding band with diamonds
28. McDonald’s visor and a large fries
29. Harry Potter Magic Wand
30. A special pizza costume
31. A bird
32. Red pouch with hammock inside that says “hang loose”
33. Cheer skirt with a lion head
34. Yeezy boost 350 butters
35. A mannequin
36. Two pieces of my ever-so-special white wedding cake
37. A fog machine
38. Japanese style mandolin
39. Full fish tank with fish and water
40. An Elvis cape with a few jewels on it
41. One Gucci flip flop
42. Red Lobster takeout
43. Limited edition Chance the Rapper Starbucks gift card
44. 5×7 prom picture of me and my husband
45. 10 lbs pulled pork and 10 lbs pulled chicken
46. Rose gold Kim Kardashian lumee case
47. A piece of parchment paper with sap on it
48. Deer antlers and a welding helmet
49. My dirty laundry
50. A small plush toy of a cat eating a pizza slice

Uber also publishes a list of the top 10 most forgetful cities:

1. East Alabama
2. Gallup, New Mexico
3. Cookeville, Tennessee
4. Mississippi Delta
5. Boone, North Carolina
6. Sioux City, Iowa
7. South Georgia
8. Mankato, Minnesota
9. College Station, Texas
10. Tallahassee, Florida

I was a little bit surprised to see College Station, Texas on the list (where I went for undergrad) but maybe it has something to do with Northgate?

You can also find additional data on there like what the most forgetful days of the year are. Interestingly, the most forgetful days for New Year’s and Halloween. 

Final word

It’s not too difficult to file a lost and found claim with Uber. The key is to just be prompt and try to connect with the driver as soon as possible. And then you want to try to be as accommodating to their schedule as possible and to consider the possibility of throwing some additional cash their way to provide them the incentive to help you out. 

By they way, if you’re interested in the Uber credit card, click here to find out more about it.