TVs, toilets, and science projects: Odd items forgotten on Edmonton buses

It's no surprise to hear Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) turns up plenty of lost items left by transit riders, however, curiosity begs the question: "What's the strangest thing forgotten on the bus?"

CTV News Edmonton spoke with Sarah Feldman, the director of transit planning, ridership and revenue with ETS, on Tuesday to get to the bottom of what gets forgotten on the bus and what happens to them.

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"We see all sorts of items that you'd expect. We do occasionally see those very odd things," Feldman said.

"We've had people lose largish items, like a TV or a toilet," she added. "One time a three-foot tall polar bear lawn ornament, like a Christmas ornament, was left on a bus."

According to Feldman, ETS recovered other odd items on occasion including a student's science project, dentures and prosthetic limbs. She even said once somebody left a bubble gum machine.

ETS said their lost and found department sees between 1,300 and 1,500 lost items every month, mostly made up of lost cell phones, mittens, toques, scarves, umbrellas and wallets.

So, what happens to those items once they're lost? Feldman stated one of two things usually occurs: either a rider will let the bus driver know someone left something behind, or the driver will find them and bring it back to the garage.

Once at the garage, a team will sort, label and ship them over to the Edmonton Service Centre where they will stay for 30 days before being disposed of if no one comes forth.

The only exception to the rule is if perishable food or a wallet gets turned in.

Food gets thrown away immediately, but wallets require some extra attention. Credit cards, debit cards and prepaid credit cards will get destroyed after 24 hours if no one claims them to adhere with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.

"We want to make sure we're protecting people's personal and financial information," Feldman said. "It's very strict, but I think it's in the best interest of Edmontonians that their credit card information is protected," she added.

She also advises anyone looking to claim a lost item from ETS should submit a lost and found form on the city's website. From there, the lost and found team will get in touch to arrange a pick up – which can only be claimed after 2 p.m. the day after it was lost.

For more urgent items, people can call 3-1-1 to report it immediately. The lost and found department can also be reached at 780-496-1622.

It's reassuring to see how easy it is for people to reclaim their lost goods on transit, however taking an extra second to have a look around before leaving a bus can save a lot of trouble.

Next time, don't forget your toilet on the bus.