Five things passengers forgot in Dubai taxis, including Dh600,000

The Roads and Transport Authority received more than 31,000 reports of lost items between January and September

Lost possessions included passports, laptops, jewellery, phones and wallets. Pawan Singh / The National 

Thousands of valuables forgotten in Dubai taxis in the first nine months of this year have been safely returned to passengers.

Most of the lost items were given back to the owners within three days.

Lost possessions include passports, laptops, jewellery, phones and wallets.

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority received 31,073 reports of items being lost in taxis during January to September.

On the list was Dh618,700 in cash, 1,201 electronic devices, 453 passports, 836 mobile phones, 254 laptops, 53 pieces of jewellery and 41 iPads.

"We return the lost items to their owners once we receive reports from them," said Mehailah Al Zahmi, director of the RTA's Customer Happiness Department. "This achievement is [the result] of our taxi drivers who have integrity and honesty."

Taxi drivers hand over the items to officers at the Lost and Found Unit, which tracks down the passengers. Items are returned to customers after they file a report.

RTA officers try to contact the customers the same day they receive the lost items.

Most cases are resolved within three working days but it can take up to seven days in some cases. Urgent cases are dealt with the same day.

“Taxi drivers who report items left by customers in their vehicles are honoured and motivated to encourage them to continue with this conduct,” Ms Al Zahmi said.

She urged passengers to remember to collect their belongings when getting out of a taxi and note down the vehicle’s plate number.