New Yorkers Taking More Forgotten Items To MTA Lost And Found

The number of items handed over to Metropolitan Transportation Authority's lost-and-found unit significantly increased during the past four years, the New York Post reported.

According to the newspaper, 24,445 items were left on MTA buses and in its subway system and given over to the agency last year, compared with 22,835 items in 2009.

And 8,093 people were reunited with their lost property last year.

Recently, a betrothed woman from Brooklyn had her three-carat engagement ring returned to her, and a lost tuba was handed in at a subway station in Queens, the Post said.

William Bonner, supervisor of the NYC Transit Lost Property Unit, told the Post that the tuba is one of the larger items he’s seen.

Travelers most frequently forget electronic gadgets such as Amazon.com Kindles and Apple iPhones. Another current trend has pet carriers being left behind on buses and trains.

Bonner told the Post that lost items are carefully cataloged at the Lost Property Unit, adding that items with identifying data -- such as cellphones, tablets, and wallets -- are checked for information that can used to contact owners.

The Lost Property Unit supervisor said there was a time when he was able to track down a woman who had left two brand-new iPads on a train, still in the bag from the Apple Store, because her email address was on the receipt.

Bonner told the Post that the woman believed she would never again see the gadgets that were gifts for family members in Russia.

“That’s the mind-set of most New Yorkers. But there’s a lot of honest people,” Bonner said.  

The Post pointed out that anyone who has lost an item on a New York bus or subway train can file a claim at MTA.info.