Squashmallows, dentures and ‘I Heart Hot Dads’ bags: Uber finds thousands of items left in robotaxis

For the past decade, Uber’s annual Lost and Found Index has provided some pretty quirky anthropological snapshots of its passengers, and even some insights into society. The annual catalog of millions of lost items ranges from common modern gadgets such as smartphones and laptops to eyebrow-raising items such as live fish, ankle monitors, toboggans, a package of live butterflies and a pair of Louboutin shoes.

This year, Uber is using the report to highlight robotaxis, a new twist on the same old problem of forgotten items. Thousands (a bit too new to say millions) of items have been left behind in robotaxis on Uber’s ride-hailing network over the past year, the company announced Tuesday. As well as the usual suspects such as cell phones, keys, wallets, passports and headphones, there were also some items that slipped into this who’s who rider category, including dentures, an “I Heart Hot Dads” bag and a blue hat that read “Emotional Support Human.”

Beyond this interesting list lies a business opportunity, however small. Even in the future of robot taxis, someone will still have to return something left behind by a passenger.

Uber has entered into dozens of partnerships with autonomous vehicle (AV) technology companies over the past few years. But it wasn’t until March 2025, when the Waymo on Uber robotaxi service launched in Austin, that the commercial wheels of the company’s AV business really started turning. Since then, Uber and Waymo have also launched robotaxi services in Atlanta. Uber added other AV companies to its app last year, including Motional in Las Vegas and Avride in Dallas, which still have human safety operators behind the wheel.

Uber has already logged thousands of lost items in just 12 months, which gives some idea of ​​how many robo-taxi rides are completed on the app. The underlying message here is that Uber’s existing network is already set up to deliver lost items to passengers, like a 15-pound yo-yo, a big black marble duck, a squishmallow, or a Charli XCX poster.

If an Uber passenger forgets their belongings inside a robotaxi, the process for getting them back is the same as for any other Uber ride. Open the app, click on the Activities tab, select the trip where you lost something, and contact customer support. Riders will be able to message, chat, or call support agents. If the item is found, they have two options. You can either pay an Uber Courier driver $15 to provide same-day local delivery or pick up your package directly from the AV warehouse where your vehicle is stored and maintained.

Uber Courier is a rebrand of Uber Connect, which launched in 2020 and allowed users to send packages and personal items between local addresses. But Uber insists its robotaxi support network involves more than just reusing existing services.

“Uber reports tens of millions of lost items each year, so we’ve spent the past decade building a system that quickly and seamlessly reunites passengers with their belongings,” Amy Satrom, Uber’s global head of self-driving support, said in a statement. “As self-driving continues to expand at Uber, we are bringing the same expertise to AVs, combining our fleet operations, support teams, and hybrid network to easily retrieve lost items, even when there is no driver behind the wheel.”

In February, the company announced Uber Autonomous Solutions, a new business unit that signals the company’s larger ambitions in driverless technology. This division provides companies with a suite of services, including software and support services, to handle all the tasks associated with running a robotaxi, self-driving truck, and sidewalk delivery robot business.

And it’s clear that Uber intends to make AV a major source of revenue. The company says it plans to offer robotaxi rides through its app in up to 15 cities around the world by the end of the year and aims to become the world’s largest promoter of AV travel by 2029.