Forgotten things in public transport: what passengers lose, and where the finds are stored

In the poem of S. Marshak, “the lady took a sofa, a suitcase, a baggage, a painting, a basket, cardboard and a small dog.” The luggage is clear. But about the same list, and sometimes more interesting, leave passengers on public transport. What happens to the forgotten things and where they can be taken, the correspondents of the agency “Minsk-Novosti” learned.

Depends on the weather

The Minsktrans hotline operates around the clock. Traffic Control Center specialists process hundreds of calls daily. They ask for the return of forgotten items.

As it turned out, the distraction of Minsk residents and guests of the capital directly depends on the weather and calendar. When it rains, passengers forget their umbrellas. In the summer and on vacation in the top replaceable shoes and clothes for the pool, sports uniforms and equipment. In September, a flurry of calls came in over abandoned school backpacks.

During the year, the demand for lost wireless headphones is consistently high. However, most often passengers are not looking for headphones themselves, but charging cases for them. There are situations when the device falls out of the ear and falls under the seats.

There are in the capital’s transport and its “black holes” – nodes of flexible jointing in buses and trolleybuses of especially large capacity.

- Sometimes the phone falls directly into the junction between sections - in the so-called harmonica, said the head of the Center for traffic control Anastasia Babich. The driver cannot get it on the route. You have to wait until the transport will come to the park, and already the technical service specialists rescue the gadget from captivity.

It was

The classic “repertoire” of lost ones is musical instruments. Violins are regularly added to the list of finds. A common cause of loss is banal forgetfulness and inattention. A person travels with two bags: one holds on his lap, and the other puts on the floor or the next seat. Going out at his stop, takes only the one that was in his hands.

There are also unusual finds that amaze even experienced employees of the hotline. One day a call was received asking to find 30 credits: the head of the group left them in the transport. Passengers with broken legs managed to forget their crutches. Another unforgettable find is a denture.

- We receive various calls: someone is looking for important documents, someone is looking for children. One of the most curious cases happened recently. A girl called who was crying on the phone. They asked what happened. And she said through tears that she lost ... vape, shared A. Babich.

I wish they hadn't!

I confess that in my school years, I also added to the sad statistics, leaving a few umbrellas, a backpack and even a school diary on the bus. My mom used to forget food bags regularly. But photojournalist Elizaveta Davidovskaya, who took pictures for this text, boasts an enviable concentration and attentiveness: for all the time of trips on public transport, she did not forget anything.

There are tourists, especially foreigners. They also often lose their belongings. The main difficulty is the language barrier and the lack of a local SIM card for feedback. If the passenger does not have a number to call, the specialists of the hotline ask him to go to the final control station to the operator. As soon as the driver inspects the cabin, the foreigner will be given information about his property.

Take it quicker

By law, forgotten items are stored in the transport fleet for six months, so it is possible to return the bag lost six months ago. However, employees of Minsktrans advise to contact the hotline as soon as possible. The best chance of success is the day you leave it.

Specialists will clarify all the details: what exactly was lost, where and at what time the trip was made. Significantly facilitates the search for the vehicle number - it is displayed on a one-time ticket. It will find a specific trolley bus or bus.

After receiving the necessary information, the service staff will contact the driver. At the same time, it is important to take into account that he does not have the right to leave the cabin during the flight, so the cabin will be inspected only at the final stop. Requests and persuasion to urgently get the right thing will not work.

If the item found is not suspicious and does not pose a safety risk, the driver will hand it over to the operator at the end station. There the thing will be until the end of the day, and if the owner does not appear, it will be sent for long-term storage in one of the branches of “Minsktrans” with mandatory notification of the internal affairs bodies.

Therefore, when leaving public transport, you should additionally check the presence of hand luggage - this simple habit will avoid unnecessary stress.

The Minsktrans hotline operates around the clock without interruptions by phone (017) 375-99-50.

Photo by Elizabeth Davidovskaya