Uber riders in Charlotte rank as 2nd most ‘forgetful’ in US. Here’s what people leave

An urn full of pet ashes, grandma’s teeth, a ball gag and stethoscope, and a brown tortoise — these are the things that people leave behind when they get out of their Ubers.

The rideshare company released its annual “lost and found index” on Friday, June 3, detailing what items people forgot in their Ubers last year and what cities had the “most forgetful” riders.

Charlotte, North Carolina, was the city with the second-most forgetful passengers, behind Austin, Texas, which finished No. 1 for the second straight year.

“Phones, wallets and keys topped the list of the most commonly forgotten items once again, but as we know, riders aren’t just leaving the essentials behind,” Uber said in a statement. “Folks are forgetting everything from tins of caviar, to fingernail clippings, to Grandma’s teeth, to Bernie Sanders fanny packs and more.”

The top 50 “most unique” items left behind included a spray tanning machine, a Billie Eilish ukulele, 500 grams of caviar and a metal leg.

Phones were the most common item to be left behind last year, but passengers were also likely to forget their wallets, keys, backpacks and purses, headphones and speakers, glasses, clothing, vapes, jewelry and IDs.

Last year, passengers were most likely to leave items in their Ubers on March 20 — the Saturday after St. Patrick’s Day — and July 4.

In general Saturdays and Sundays were the days with most items left behind, and 5 p.m. was the time when riders were most likely to forget their belongings, the company said.

More than 30 people left behind their retainers, 20 forgot their gold- and diamond-encrusted grills and five dropped their dentures in the backseat.

The best thing to do if you left something in the car is to call your driver, according to Uber. But those who forget their phones can log into their Uber accounts on the computer and contact their driver that way.

The top 10 cities on the list:

1. Austin
2. Charlotte
3. Houston
4. Indianapolis
5. Dallas
6. Kansas City
7. Atlanta
8. Tampa Bay
9. Columbus
10. Phoenix

This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 5:34 PM.