Uber has changed the way we get around - but one thing that hasn't changed is how forgetful we are.
"It's very common. It happens nearly every day we get something handed in," says Wellington's Uber Team Lead Becky Pitt.
Many of us might have been guilty of leaving a phone or wallet in a taxi or Uber - but the ride sharing service has shed some light on just what Kiwis are forgetting, with its second annual lost and found index.
The top 10 most common items left in Ubers shouldn't come as a surprise:
- Phone
- Wallet
- Keys / key cards / locks
- Bag
- Clothing
- Eyewear
- ID / license / passport
- Cigarettes / vape
- Laptop
- Jewellery
Most Wellingtonians Newshub spoke to said the list matched up with their own experiences - with wallets and phones their most common lost item.
But it's the weird, wonderful, and unique things we're leaving behind that truly catch the eye.
"The weirdest thing? I'd probably say somebody's degree. A $50,000 piece of paper, left in an Uber vehicle," says Ms Pitt.
The 20 most unique items reported are:
- Lightsaber
- Medical certificate
- Round gold locket
- A drone
- Mazda car remote
- Daughter's birthday present
- Medical reports
- GoPro with SD card
- A medical certificate - again, for some reason
- Gold bangle
- Two tickets to a polo game
- A Deux Ex Machina cap
- Gold chain
- A little rose gold Pandora chain
- Someone's final assignment
- A box of Billy Maverick 7 percent bourbons
- Birthday cake
- Races tickets
- Rugby tickets
- Concert tickets
But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
"I left a condom once - I didn't use it though," volunteered one Wellingtonian to Newshub.
"Once I left a bowl of spaghetti. I was eating a bowl of spaghetti on the way and I forgot and left it in there," said another.
The most common days people have reported their stuff missing are Saturday and Sunday.
"Usually it's just a case of being too drunk, just wanting to get to bed and have their McDonald's," says Ms Pitt.
"We've had some leave their pants in a car. So they obviously got changed in the back in the middle of a club changeover. So the funny stories come with the funny objects."
Lost items are handed in by drivers to the local Uber HQ and held there for pickup - except for drugs, which are given to the police.
A walk through Wellington's Uber HQ shows there are a few surprises amongst the phones and wallets in the lost and found - including a doll wrapped in tissue, a UE Boom speaker, and a few longboards.
"I don't even know, you think they'd be using the longboard to travel the place, but they just do, they never come back for them - that's been there a long time," says Pitt.
The index isn't just to poke fun though - it's asking people to log their lost items on the app. So if you've lost a phone, or a drone, you can have a happy reunion.
You can find the index here.
Newshub.
