The Bizarre Things Passengers Keep Forgetting in Robotaxis (Bowling Balls, Dentures, and a Unicorn Beanie Baby)
A 15-pound green bowling ball. A pair of dentures. A unicorn Beanie Baby. These are just a few of the oddball items passengers have left behind in autonomous vehicles over the past year, according to Uber’s annual Lost and Found Index. For the first time, the company is including self-driving cars in its tally, because robotaxis now make up enough trips on its platform to matter.
Uber doesn’t operate its own driverless fleet, but it has become a middleman for companies like Waymo, Motional, and Avride, which use its app to reach millions of riders. While robotaxis account for less than 1% of Uber’s total trips, that’s enough to earn a spot in the index.
Predictably, phones top the list of forgotten items—everything from iPhones to flip phones. Wallets, keys, headphones, glasses, and passports are also common. But then there’s the weird stuff: a jumbo yo-yo, a large black marble duck, a Squishmallow, a Charli XCX poster, a Smurf keychain, and a bag reading “I Heart Hot Dads.” Clothing-wise, riders have left cowboy hats, red Sonic the Hedgehog Crocs, and a cap that says “Emotional Support Human.” High-end designers like Gucci, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton also make appearances.
Retrieving items from robotaxis works differently than from human-driven cars. Customers report a lost item through the app and a support agent collects details. If found, Uber dispatches a courier to return it for a flat $15 fee, or riders can pick it up at a depot. The process is managed by Uber’s new Autonomous Solutions program.
“With tens of millions of lost items reported each year, we’ve spent a decade building systems to reunite riders with their belongings,” said Amy Satrom, Uber’s global head of autonomous support.
As Uber aims to offer robotaxi trips in 15 cities by year’s end and become the world’s largest autonomous vehicle broker by 2029, one thing remains constant: humans will keep forgetting stuff. Though sometimes the robotaxi is at fault—a San José man recently watched a Waymo drive off with his luggage at the airport. The company eventually covered the shipping costs after local news picked up the story.