Thousands of lost items, including bikes & surfboards, processed each year at Metro’s lost and found

LOS ANGELES - People leave a lot of stuff behind on Metro buses and trains — about 15,000 items are processed every year at the agency's Lost and Found in Montecito Heights.

Manager Patrick Diaz showed us some of the unclaimed items, from keys, phones and backpacks to prosthetic legs, musical instruments and even a surfboard. "That person was probably headed to the beach on the Santa Monica line," says Diaz.

The most common item left behind is actually bikes. "People attach them to the rack on the front of the bus and forget they are there when they run off to get a connection," says Diaz, who explains they get so many bikes they actually have a different facility for those.

It usually takes three to five days from the time a driver finds something, turns it in to a supervisor, it is logged and makes its way to the lost and found. If the stuff is not claimed within 90 days, it gets auctioned off. Diaz says they have a 30% return rate but expect to be much busier as more tourists arrive for events like the World Cup.

If you want to find something you left on a metro bus or train, here are the options:

• Call their hotline at 323-GO-METRO, which is 323-466-3876.
• Report the item online.
• Check out their lost and found facility at 3571 Pasadena Avenue in Montecito Heights. The building is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on holidays.
• Lost bikes can be claimed at the Los Angeles Metro headquarter, which is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Be prepared to show the item is yours, and beyond a description, bring the bus or rail line information to match where it was found, along with the date and time.