Lost Property Unit (LPU)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\nIn a field test, more than 80% of items that auditors \u201cfound\u201d and gave to transit workers \u2014 including jewelry, books and clothing \u2014 were never logged into the agency\u2019s lost-and-found database. Only one of the 24 items that were turned in, a key chain with an email address on it, was recovered.<\/p>\n
A \u2018troubling\u2019 number of turned-in items never made it to lost-and-found<\/p>\n
The team also found that a \u201ctroubling\u201d amount of lost and turned-in items never made it to the LPU. They uncovered that the agency\u2019s documentation practices were \u201cpoor\u201d and the systems for matching owners\u2019 claims to lost items were deemed \u201cinefficient\u201d by the inspector\u2019s team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Items lost in the subway system were held too long in the field, according to the report, taking an average of 27.4 days to be transported from designated station booths to the LPU and 55.2 days to reach the unit from dispatchers\u2019 locations, where cleaners turn in items they find on trains<\/p>\n
Plus, the agency\u2019s process of matching customers\u2019 claims to items listed in the lost and found database is \u201ctoo laborious,\u201d creating a large backlog, the audit showed.<\/p>\n
Deficiencies were also found in the Long Island Rail Road\u2019s (LIRR) lost-and-found process, though it fared better than NYC Transit, according to a separate Inspector General audit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur field tests revealed clear lapses in these lost and found systems, particularly at NYC Transit,\u201d Cort said. \u201cRiders should have faith that their lost property is being handled responsibly and with care, and MTA agencies must have effective protocols in place to return those items.\u201d<\/p>\n
NYC Transit received more than 68,000 pieces of lost property in 2024. Customers filed more than 31,500 claims looking for their lost items.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven these high volumes, the agency must have efficient procedures for receiving, transporting, documenting, and securing lost property if it is to successfully reunite customers with their belongings,\u201d the report stated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cort made nine recommendations to NYC Transit to improve the handling and documentation of lost property, the timeliness of the lost and found process, and communications with customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
MTA \u2018committed to ensuring the best customer experience\u2019<\/p>\n
According to the inspector general, NYC Transit accepted eight of the recommendations, noting that one had already been implemented. A ninth recommendation, to test NYC Transit workers\u2019 adherence to policy, was not accepted by the agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew York City Transit is committed to ensuring the best customer experience including the safekeeping of all lost personal items,\u201d MTA spokesperson Laura Cala-Rauch, said. \u201cAll transit employees are expected to follow the Lost Property Bulletin, which details the proper procedures when finding, handling and storing lost items while on duty. We\u2019ve closely reviewed the Inspector General\u2019s recommendations and will continue to ensure efficiency and accountability at transit Lost and Found facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additionally, NYC Transit\u2019s Department of Subways is working on changes to how lost property is handled, tracked and returned to customers. Full implementation is planned by the end of the year, agency officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The amount of time the MTA holds on to items is based on its estimated value, per the agency\u2019s website. Items are held anywhere from three months to three years. Unclaimed property during the retention period is auctioned with proceeds supporting funding for MTA service. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Commuters walk past the platform barriers at the 8th Avenue subway station in Manhattan. Photo by Dean Moses…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":172695,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,98523,98524,98525,98526,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,31145,11900,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-172694","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-lost-items-on-subways-and-buses","10":"tag-lost-and-found-items-on-trains-and-buses","11":"tag-mta-audit","12":"tag-mta-inspector-general-daniel-cort","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-city","15":"tag-newyork","16":"tag-newyorkcity","17":"tag-ny","18":"tag-nyc","19":"tag-nyc-transit","20":"tag-transit","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-united-states-of-america","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","25":"tag-us","26":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115085928581776837","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"subway-barriers-dean-moses-07202025-2\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/subway-barriers-dean-moses-07202025-2.jpg\" "\\"MTA")
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