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<\/p>\nIf you\u2019ve ever lost something valuable on a Metro bus or train and assumed it was gone forever, take heart: There is a system for reuniting riders with their possessions.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Metro Lost & Found office off Pasadena Avenue in Montecito Heights has items as varied as cellphones and blowtorches that have been found by Metro staff or security guards on buses and rail lines. <\/p>\n
Patrick Diaz has been riding the city\u2019s sprawling public transportation system since 2003; he\u2019s now the communications manager for Metro\u2019s customer experience department. <\/p>\n
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He still remembers when he lost his high school textbook years ago on the 207 bus that departs from the Crenshaw station on Western Avenue. At the time, he didn\u2019t think about looking, believing it was lost forever. <\/p>\n
After witnessing and participating in reuniting Metro riders with their displaced things, Diaz strongly encourages people not to give up on lost possessions. <\/p>\n
Metro recovers approximately 1,000 items a month and processes close to 15,000 items a year. It has a 30% rate of return, meaning 30% of lost items are recovered and reunited with their owners, he said. <\/p>\n
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A prosthetic leg leans beside a toy horse at the Metro Lost & Found office on March 5.<\/p>\n
(Ronaldo Bolanos \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
What kind of things get found<\/p>\n
Witnessing the emotions of people reuniting \u201cwith their treasures, it doesn\u2019t matter how small or large,\u201d brings joy, said Vanessa Smith, executive officer of customer care for the Metro system.<\/p>\n
Smith said she was once contacted by a mother whose daughter lost a button from her coat. \u201cIt was a very ornate button and that seems small to someone but not to the owner,\u201d she said. That button was found and returned. <\/p>\n
While most missing items are typical things that people travel with like cellphones, backpacks and glasses, Diaz said there have been a number of unique items turned in, including a prosthetic leg, musical instruments, 55-inch-screen TVs and large generators. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe see a large volume of recovered items coming through our bus operations, for example bicycles that are typically left on the front bike rack,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bikes can be an afterthought when a rider is rushing to catch a connecting bus or just plain forgets to alert the bus driver that they need to remove their bike from the bus rack, Diaz said. <\/p>\n
This is how the process works: A missing item, like an engagement ring (one was found on the B Line on Valentine\u2019s Day this year) is discovered by a security guard or a Metro staff member who then turns it in to the bus or rail operator who then takes it to the division office. The item is logged and eventually transported to the Lost & Found office. <\/p>\n
This process can take three to five business days, Diaz said. <\/p>\n
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Rows of left-behind bikes. <\/p>\n
(Ronaldo Bolanos \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
How to report your lost item<\/p>\n