Thousands of Quirky Items Left Behind in Uber's Robotaxis

Thousands of Quirky Items Left Behind in Uber's Robotaxis">

["For a decade, Uber's annual Lost & Found Index has offered a quirky glimpse into the belongings riders leave behind. This year's report highlights a new twist: the rise of robotaxis. Thousands of items have been left in autonomous vehicles on Uber's ride-hailing network, including phones, keys, and wallets, as well as more unusual items like a set of dentures, an 'I Heart Hot Dads' bag, and a blue hat that reads 'Emotional Support Human.'", 'The list of lost items ranges from the mundane to the bizarre, with some riders leaving behind live fish, an ankle monitor, a toboggan, a package of live butterflies, and a single Louboutin shoe.

This year, Uber is using the report to highlight the challenge of lost items in robotaxis. Even in a future of autonomous vehicles, someone still has to return the things passengers leave behind.', "Uber has spent years partnering with autonomous vehicle (AV) technology companies, and its AV business started gaining traction in March 2025 with the launch of the 'Waymo on Uber' robotaxi service in Austin. Since then, Uber and Waymo have also started a robotaxi service in Atlanta, and Uber has added other AV companies to its app, including Motional in Las Vegas and Avride in Dallas.", 'The process for recovering lost items in robotaxis is similar to any other Uber ride.

Riders can open the app, click the activity tab, select the trip during which the item was lost, and contact customer support. If the item is located, riders can choose to pay $15 for an Uber Courier driver to provide same-day local delivery or pick up the belonging in person from an AV depot.', "Uber's existing network is already set up to reunite riders with their lost items, according to Amy Satrom, global head of autonomous support at Uber. 'With tens of millions of lost items reported on Uber each year, we've spent the last decade building systems that help riders quickly and seamlessly reunite with their belongings,' Satrom said in a statement.

'As autonomous rides continue to scale on Uber, we're bringing that same expertise to AVs — combining our fleet operations, support teams, and hybrid network to make getting a lost item back simple, even when there's no driver behind the wheel.'", 'The company plans to offer robotaxi rides through its app in as many as 15 cities globally by the end of the year and intends to be the largest facilitator of AV trips in the world by 2029. With its new business division, Uber Autonomous Solutions, the company is conveying its bigger ambitions around driverless tech, providing companies with a suite of services to handle all tasks associated with operating a robotaxi, self-driving truck, or sidewalk delivery robot business.']