From dirty shoes to a tin of baby formula to school books, ID documents, backpacks and a box full of SIM cards – the stuff left behind on GO GEORGE buses never ceases to amaze. Only shopping seems to be held tightly, since a bag full of groceries or a new piece of clothing seldom turns up among the lost goods at the bus depot.
It seems that passengers get caught up in conversations, or are in such a rush to get off the bus, that they forget what they had been carrying when they boarded the bus. Although passengers are responsible for their own property and the bus company can take no responsibility for items left on the bus, there is a system in place for goods found on the bus and handed in by other passengers, or found by staff at the end of their shift. All lost and found items are handed in at the bus depot in case someone should enquire about it. Once every month, all unclaimed items are taken to the GO GEORGE office where it will be kept for three months only.
“The piles of boxes and plastic bags full of lost items just get too much for our office to accommodate,” says James Robb, GO GEORGE Manager. “The best route is to phone our Call Centre as soon as you realise that you have left something on the bus. Our agents there will contact the depot and give immediate feedback to the passenger looking for something. “We do want to make it very clear, though, that GO GEORGE and George Link staff cannot be accused or held responsible when lost items don’t turn up. It could easily have been taken by a dishonest co-passenger when they realise that something has been left behind and that the owner had already left the bus,” says Robb.
To prevent dishonesty, people who make enquiry will have to describe their lost items very clearly before it will be handed over. Phone 0800 044 044 between 05:00 and 21:30 daily.