Weird stuff Kenyan riders leave in cabs

The use of cab-hailing services in Kenya has expanded as smartphone usage increase, attracting many players. Taxi-hailing service providers have said the usage has been spreading across the week, moving away from just visiting friends and family, social outings, shopping and airport to regular commutes to work and schools.

The usage has also expanded among the youth due to the affordable rates and short distances covered.

In a 2020 Ride-Hailing Survey done by PARS Research showed that about 55 per cent of commuters in the Nairobi travelled for six days to work or school-related activities, while 30 per cent reported that they travel for five days a week.

Whether catching a cab to a doctor’s appointment, business meeting or airport terminal, users have been leaving personal items in the vehicles at the end of the trips.

Based on Uber’s fourth annual Lost and Found Index released in March 2020, phones, wallets, headphones and clothing once again topped the list of most commonly forgotten items, with backpacks, keys, glasses and books following suit. The company also points higher requests from the airport, hotels, universities, business centres, shopping malls and the city centre, adding that the movement changes depending on what’s happening in that week.

It added that Mombasa took the top spot as for the most forgetful city, followed closely by Nairobi.

The index shows that Kenyans are most forgetful on Fridays and Sundays, and mid-morning or afternoons. But the most common hours when Uber riders were most forgetful was specifically at 10am, perhaps during the rush to work, and from 3pm to 4pm. Holidays continue to haunt the forgetful as well.

“Once again, we saw that February 14 (Valentine’s day) was the most forgetful day as well as December 13 (the day after Jamhuri Day),” says Brian Njao head of East Africa Uber.

“But as we well know, riders aren’t just leaving the usuals behind — they’re forgetting everything from trolley’s to cooktops, to hairdryers and broomsticks.”

Tech companies Bolt and Uber in Kenya foresight have shown below as the items common forgotten by the riders in the recent past. People can call the driver, report the lost items through the app or to the service provider.

1. Unopened beer bottles

Digital cabs have become common because of convenience, allowing people to order rides after getting together with family, parties, night outs or even after meeting at a friend’s house to share drinks.

The law is strict on people drinking and driving, meaning hailing a cab after a drink has been a very responsible decision on the part of the passenger. As a result, the riders carry alcohol containers in the vehicle. However, cab-hailing drivers can be charged a fine if caught drinking the alcohol or even blocked from the app.

2. Wallets and handbags

Bolt reported these items among those that were left behind by users. Bolt country manager Ola Akinnusi says the items often containing ID and other identification documents have made tracing users for return easy. 

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