Underwear, boxing gloves and antique musket among items left on Oxford buses in 2023

Underwear, professional boxing gloves and an an antique musket were among the unusual items left behind on buses across Oxford last year.

Oxford Bus Company has now revealed some of passengers' belongings which ended up in the firm's lost property.

An adult sex toy, an Egyptian papyrus and an unusually high volume of musical instruments was also misplaced including a saxophone, clarinet, flute, violin and trombone.

The most common items left on the city's buses were mobile phones, umbrellas, bags, passports and ID and shopping. 

Staff at the Oxford Bus Company customer services department recorded 2950 lost items in 2023, with 750 ites, just over a quarter, successfully returned to their owners.

That's a near 50% improvement in returns compared to the previous year. 

Passengers who reclaim items have to pay a £1 administration and storage fee for the return of their belongings to help towards costs for the special digital identification service.

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. 

“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.” 

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The company says their 'NotLost' platform uses image recognition and powerful search tool to 'transform' the way lost property is managed. 

Previous lost items 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.  

The 2023 top ten lost items included an antique musket professional boxing gloves, a saxophone, clarinet, gentleman’s cane, adult sex toy, nitrous gas, Egyptian papyrus, a trombone and underwear.