Lost and Found: The Strangest Things Passengers Leave Behind in Taxis
Taxi and private hire drivers often encounter the full range of human behavior—and forgetfulness is no exception. It’ll come as no surprise to anyone, that taxi and private hire drivers often end up in custody of passenger items that have been left behind.
Ranked: The most common items left behind in cabs
As part of the recent, National Taxi and Private Hire Driver Survey were asked two questions. The first was:
“What is the most common item that passengers leave in your vehicle?”
Unsurprisingly, mobile phones took the top spot by a significant margin, highlighting just how easily people lose track of their most essential belongings. The rest of the Top 5 included keys, glasses, food, and wallets, with only a few percentage points separating these items.
While phones may dominate as the most commonly forgotten item, the variety in the rest of the list demonstrates the diverse (and sometimes baffling) things passengers leave behind.
The second question asked was:
“What is the strangest thing a passenger has ever left in your vehicle?”
This question brought out some truly bizarre and unexpected responses, offering a window into the strange reality drivers face. The top 10 strangest items, as voted on by the TaxiPlus team, included:
A carry bag containing £5000
Viagra wrapped in a £50 note
A large, handcrafted puppet
A pet rabbit
A “massive” jar of cannabis
An inflatable backpack in the shape of a kangaroo
An antique gun
The bottom set of false teeth in a black handbag
A bag of bricks
A bag full of personalized fortune cookies
These responses are both entertaining and revealing. They paint a vivid picture of the unpredictable nature of the job—and the people drivers interact with daily.
Beyond forgotten belongings, many drivers spoke about a recurring frustration: the amount of rubbish passengers leave behind. From discarded pizza boxes to human waste and soiled clothing, drivers often end their shift cleaning up after passengers. As one driver succinctly put it, passengers “always leave a mess” behind.
This casual disregard for the driver’s space and time adds another layer of stress to the job. It’s not just about picking up and dropping off passengers—it’s about dealing with the aftermath. These anecdotes highlight the lack of respect some passengers have for the people providing their service.
Discover More
While these findings provide a glimpse into the daily life of taxi and private hire drivers, there’s much more to uncover. Download the 2024 National Taxi and Private Hire Driver Survey to explore the full breadth of experiences, insights, and challenges drivers face in today’s industry. Just paste the following URL into your browser:
https://www.taxiplus.co.uk/national-taxi-and-private-hire-driver-survey-download