Aadhaar card, dumbbell, birthday cake among most unique items left behind in Uber cabs

PTI, Jun 7, 2022, 10:02 AM IST

Aadhaar cards, 5-kg dumbbells, college certificates, and even a birthday cake figured in the list of items that Uber riders left behind absent-mindedly, the ride-hailing app said in a report, which also found Mumbai to be the ”most forgetful city” in India.

The usual suspects — phones, speakers/headphones, wallets, and bags — topped the list of items left behind in Uber cabs across India last year. Other items included groceries, thermos/water bottles and phone chargers.

”Besides leaving the usuals behind, Indians have also forgotten unique things such as ghewar (an Indian sweet dish), flutes, Aadhaar cards, dumbbells, a bike handle, cricket bats, spike guards, and college certificates, to name a few,” according to the 2022 edition of the ‘Lost and Found Index’ released by Uber.

The index offers an insight into the most frequently forgotten items, the most forgetful cities, as well as the days of the week and times of the year when Uber riders tend to be most forgetful.

”While Mumbai bagged the title of the most forgetful city in the country for the second time in a row, Delhi NCR and Lucknow were not far behind,” Uber said in a release.

Backed by rider insights and armed with tons of data, the Lost and Found Index aims to educate riders (in a fun yet informative way) about Uber’s in-app options available to them at the tap of a button, in case they lose or forget something in their cab during their trip.

Most items seemed to peak on certain days. The index revealed that ”people are most likely to forget their clothes on Saturdays” and ”their laptop on stressful Wednesday”.

The most forgetful time of the day for Indians turned out to be afternoon slots of 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm.

Nitish Bhushan, Director, Central Operations for Uber India, said, ”We get that losing an item can be stressful, but when you Uber, you always have the option to trace so that you can attempt retrieving your belongings.”