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Transportation & Mobility

Where LA ranks on Uber's list of most 'forgetful' cities and the strange items people leave behind

A light-skinned man wearing a gray hat, black shirt and sunglasses exits the back door of a black sedan at Los Angeles Interenational Airport. The car has an Uber sticker in the lower right corner of its windshield.
An Uber rider exits at Los Angeles International Airport in March 2026 (and hopefully didn't forget anything in the car).
(
Myung J. Chun
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)

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Topline:

Los Angeles came in fifth on Uber's list of most "forgetful" cities over the last year — that is, the cities where people most frequently leave items in their rideshare. The ranking was part of Uber's annual Lost & Found Index, a report on what folks forget in Ubers each year and the cities where people leave things most frequently.

Start spreadin' the news, I'm leaving (my stuff): New York, New York topped the list of most "forgetful" cities in Uber's rankings. Miami was second, Chicago third and San Francisco fourth.

The frequent fliers: Items most commonly forgotten in Ubers won't surprise you — phone, wallet, luggage, keys and headphones were the top five.

Fish tanks and toboggans and Gushers, oh my! And then there were the more ... unique items that folks left behind. Here are just a few:

  • A 75-gallon fish tank
  • A toboggan
  • A textured photo with a rhinestoned picture of Jesus
  • Two pounds of blue raspberry Gushers fruit snacks
  • 420 donuts
  • A dishwasher
  • A child's prosthetic eye

What if I actually leave something important? Uber says it's rolling out a new lost item feature in some markets that will allow you to report a missing item, receive a report back if and when the driver finds it and set up a time for it to be delivered to you. You'll still have to pay the driver a fare for bringing it back to you, though.

Wait but I need to know more absurd things people forgot: Obviously! You can see Uber's full Lost & Found Index here. And if you've lost something, here's how to find some help.

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