Oxford Bus Company has revealed the unusual items which were left on its buses by passengers last year.
Among the belongings left on buses and coaches in 2023 were an adult sex toy, a pair of professional boxing gloves, an Egyptian papyrus and an antique musket.
An unusually high volume of musical instruments was also misplaced including a saxophone, clarinet, flute, violin and trombone.
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The most common items left on vehicles were mobile phones, umbrellas, bags, passports and ID and shopping.
Staff at the Oxford Bus Company customer services department recorded 2950 in 2023, and 750 were successfully returned to their owners, a near 50% improvement in returns compared to the previous year.
In 2019 it linked up with the innovative NotLost platform so it can digitally log misplaced items quickly, with the system helping to match them to the rightful owner.
Passengers who reclaim items pay a £1 administration and storage fee for the return of their belongings to help towards costs.
There is also a postal service option available for returns. Unrecovered items are donated to local charities, or safely disposed of after a set period.
Andy Morison, head of customer experience at Oxford Bus Company, said: “A lot of items are left on our buses and coaches and we highlight the unusual ones to remind people that lost things are kept.
“It is always worth checking with us if you lose something on our services, as we may well be able to assist.
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“Misplacing belongings can be a stressful experience and so we use technology to help make it easier for people to get their items back.
"We’re proud of our record at managing lost property and work hard to help reunite items with their owners. Last year while we saw a similar volume of lost items there was a significant increase in people securing their return, which is great news.”
Oxford Bus Company provides extensive bus routes in Oxford City and Abingdon, luxury coach services to Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, the BROOKESBus service, in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, and the prestigious park&ride service. Plus, City Sightseeing Oxford, the hop-on, the hop-off open topped bus tours of Oxford.
The NotLost platform combines various features including image recognition and powerful search functionality with a simple, intuitive interface, transforming the way lost property is managed.
Oxford Bus Company has previously revealed lost items in recent years which have included a light saber, a fireman’s hat, a Soviet Union hat, a letter detailing sexual fantasies, a Donald Trump toilet roll and Voldemort’s wand.
Top ten lost items in 2023:
Antique musket
Professional boxing gloves
Saxophone
Clarinet
Gentleman’s cane
Adult sex toy
Nitrous gas
Egyptian papyrus
Trombone
Underwear.
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.
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