In this short review, my intention is to provide a little guidance on effectively managing lost and found items for my folks working as professional Rideshare drivers. How many of us have ever misplaced something before and had to go through hell and hot water to find it? How many of us have ever lost something before and literally never found or seen that which was lost ever again? You retraced your footsteps, looked under and behind everything and still had no luck in finding what you lost! I know that I’ve experienced this before when I lost my wallet for the first time inside of a 7 Eleven convenient store.
That being said, I’ve also had passengers misplace their personal items inside of my vehicle and never reach out to me or Lyft to have their lost item returned. I don’t know if it was because they didn’t know how to request that their lost item be returned or if they simply didn’t care because the item they lost had very little value or something. I don’t know! But what I do know is that I want to make sure that every driver and passenger is aware of the rules and regulations concerning items that are lost inside Rideshare vehicles. Let’s kill the confusion now on who’s responsible and what somebody has to do so we all can be happy and get along like responsible adults!
At #1RideShareDoc, my primary focus is to share my story, personal journey, firsthand encounters, and extensive expertise related to the realm of Rideshare driving. I want to give drivers and passengers a place to go when they need to vent, learn, relate or simply be heard! Let’s talk about the things that these Rideshare companies like Uber, Lyft, Via, or Sidecar aren’t talking about. Let’s give each other the support that we know we both need! Let’s learn from one another so we can grow strong together. Let me help prepare you for what’s ahead of you and more importantly behind you! Shall we begin!!
This review will be divided into the following sections, for better absorption and clearer understanding purposes:
Introduction
What Does “Lost And Found” Mean?
What Should A Driver Do When They Find A Lost Item?
What Should A Passenger Do When They Lose An Item In An Uber Or Lyft Car?
Do Uber Or Lyft Charge Passengers For Lost, Found And Returned Items?
Are Drivers Obligated To Return Lost Items?
How Can A Driver Help Prevent A Passenger From Leaving Items Behind?
How Can A Passenger Help Prevent Themselves From Leaving Personal Items Behind?
My Professional Conclusion For Returning A Passengers Lost Items!
What Does “Lost And Found” Mean?
The term lost and found basically points to a service or system put in place to help return lost items that were misplaced by it’s original owners. “Lost and found” represents a specific space or procedure where recovered lost valuables can be reported, put away and reclaimed by the individual who lost it. Rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber have put systems like this in place for passengers that may have left something behind during a ride.
Other establishments have also put these types of systems in place to ensure that all lost items get returned to their original owners. Other establishments like public transportation facilities, hotels, schools, airports, stadiums and office buildings.
What Should A Driver Do When They Find A Lost Item?
I don’t know about other drivers and how they do things in their car but when one of my passengers loses something in my car or leaves something behind, I simply take whatever they left behind and put it in my glove compartment or trunk. I always wait until the passenger reaches out to me first before reporting the lost item to Lyft! Reason being is because suppose the passenger doesn’t recall leaving anything in my vehicle. Supposed to passengers think they dropped what they’ve lost before getting in my car or after getting out of my car. See my point?
I’ve had plenty of customers leave things behind in my car and never reach out to me to receive it back.
So I hate to say this guys but I feel as though you’re supposed to wait for the customer to initiate contact first before making Uber aware of a personal loss possession. Not doing this coupled with a passenger’s lack of communication regarding their lost item would just be a bunch of wasted time on the drivers behalf.
What Should A Passenger Do When They Lose An Item In An Uber Or Lyft Car?
When a passenger feels like they’ve misplaced something in a Lyft or Uber vehicle, the passenger should immediately go back to their apps, locate their most recent completed ride and make a report. You would make this report by first locating the “Lost an item” button within your Uber or Lyft app. Once you’ve located the “lost an item” button, all you have to do next is follow the steps that the app tells you. Once you’re finished with making the report, you’ll then receive the driver’s contact information so you can communicate with them direct.
You and your driver would then have to map out a date and time that works best for both parties and voila! Once you receive your lost item back, you would then notify Uber or Lyft so they can close the “Lost item” issue in their system, pay the driver and you should be good to go! Easy as pie right?
Do Uber Or Lyft Charge Passengers For Lost, Found And Returned Items?
Well of course Rideshare companies charge passengers when a driver has to inconveniently return they’re lost item. These companies charge passengers a convenience fee for returned items due to the inconvenience that it causes drivers. The compensation amount that drivers are paid which is what passengers are charged when requesting that a lost item be returned is $15 dollars. But the driver has to drive however long it may take for however many miles to make some returns and the compensation amount doesn’t change!
In other words, this dollar amount passengers are charged has nothing to do with how long and/or how far your driver had to drive to drop off the lost item. This is one of my biggest reasons why I’m never pressed to return a lost item when a passenger chooses not to reach out. And for this reason, the whole process including the charge or compensation paid to the driver is never worth it.. Sorry passengers!
Are Drivers Obligated To Return Lost Items?
This is a million dollar question I can’t wait to answer! I’m so tired of passengers thinking we’re supposed to return the precious items they’ve lost in our vehicles. That being said, as private contractors the only thing that rideshare drivers are responsible for when it refers to an entitled passenger lol, is getting them from point A to point b safe and sound. That’s it! Lyft even says that drivers aren’t responsible for passengers belongings. Read it for yourself! So it’s 100% the adult passengers responsibility to make sure that they exit the driver’s vehicle with everything that they entered the driver’s vehicle with.
Now making that statement just raised a question in my mind that I would like to ask you guys.. If an adult passenger was able to enter the drivers vehicle with everything that they have and not need assistance from the driver, then why would the passenger need assistance with grabbing all of their personal property when exiting the driver’s vehicle? Do you see how that doesn’t make any sense?
How Can A Driver Help Prevent A Passenger From Leaving Items Behind?
There are a few small things a driver could do that could make a big difference in a passenger leaving something behind in your vehicle. You could try:
Putting Up Signs: Putting up reminder signs could be one route a driver could choose to take when trying to assist passengers in remembering to grab all of their personal belongings. The only downside to putting up signs would be the fact that it costs money. But if money isn’t an issue for you, you could put reminder signs behind your seats, hang a reminder sign up on your review mirror or put reminder stickers on your windows. The only passengers that’ll forget something in your car now would be the passengers that are either blind or can’t read lol!
Verbally Remind Them: Verbally asking passengers if they’ve grabbed all of their belongings from your vehicle could be another simple more easier route to take. Especially since it won’t cost you any out of pocket money! It may cost you a little bit of memory space if you can remember and that’s about it. If you can’t remember to remind your passengers about their belongings you could try writing it down on a sticky note and placing it somewhere where you can constantly see it as a personal reminder.
Turning The Lights On: Turning your lights on should already be a given when passengers are entering and exiting your vehicle. If you weren’t doing it in the past, now is the time to start doing it. Having lights on when passengers are entering and exiting your vehicle could not only come in handy for when a passenger leaves something behind, but also for safety purposes! When you’re able to see, less mistakes happen. If a mistake does happen, at least you’ll be able to see it coming if you know what I mean lol!
How Can A Passenger Help Prevent Themselves From Leaving Personal Items Behind?
Small actions taken by passengers can have a significant impact on ensuring they remember to retrieve all of their belongings from the vehicle they traveled in before stepping out. These small actions could include:
Bringing A Checklist: Now this may sound a bit corny or a little too much, but could actually come in handy when bringing a lot of belongings with you on your journey. Especially if you’re bringing kids along for the ride. That being said, take 5 minutes to make a short list of everything you’re leaving out the house with and be sure to reflect on this list as you’re exiting your driver’s motor vehicle. Make a short list of all the important things you have in your pockets like your keys, wallet and cell phone, which would be my main three. You can thank your Rideshare doctor later!
Asking The Driver For Light: Try asking your driver for some light if they didn’t have the light on already. Having some extra light even during the daytime could be useful in locating anything that you may not have noticed at first. If the drivers dome light doesn’t work, then you could always use your cell phones flashlight, if it has one. If your phone doesn’t have a flashlight, then you could always purchase a mini flashlight and keep it with you when traveling in Rideshare vehicles!
Ask The Driver For An Extra Minute: When arriving at your drop off destination, you should never rush when your exiting your Uber or Lyft drivers car. For every ride that you order in the future, always be sure to tell every driver every time, that you’ll need an extra minute to gather your belongings before exiting the vehicle. If you can remember this, then you have immediately changed your frequency of losing things lol. You’ve also changed the way you lose things. Giving yourself some extra time to pack up and leave isn’t too much to ask of yourself or your driver right?
My Professional Conclusion For Returning A Passengers Lost Items!
In conclusion, I would like to say that it’s always a good idea for a passenger to be extra vigilant and on alert before, during and after a Lyft or Uber ride is completed. Be sure to check on top and in between the drivers back seats, doors, floors and floor mats (under them!) before exiting their vehicle. Drivers aren’t responsible for returning lost items that adult passengers leave behind. So when the driver does decide to return a lost item, it’s purely out of the kindness of their heart. It’s not an obligation!
But there are certain procedures that Rideshare drivers could adopt which could aid passengers in remembering to grab all of their belongings. Likewise, passengers can also implement certain procedures to avoid forgetting their possessions which I’ve already listed within this review. Both the driver and the passenger have to work together to make sure that no belongings are left behind when a ride is completed. So in cases like these, I guess you could say that it takes two to tangle lol!
As I wrap up another satisfying review, I’m eager to hear your thoughts on how to handle lost and found items. Have you ever been in an Uber or Lyft car and left something valuable behind by a mistake? Do you ever experience the sense that there’s an additional action you could take to avoid losing something? If you do have something to add or would like to say, I would be thrilled to hear it! Please feel free to leave those stories, thoughts, comments and concerns at the bottom of this review and I will be sure to respond back to you as soon as possible!
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