Technology Helps Reconnect People With Items They Left Behind In A Taxi
By John Ostapkovich
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - People accidentally leave all sort of stuff in taxis and limosines, but if they leave it in one regulated by the Philadelphia Parking Authority, there's a good chance of getting it back.
If you're riding in a PPA-regulated vehicle, it's not finders keepers, says James Ney, director of the Taxicab and Limousine Division.
"This is a public service. We regulate taxicab and limousine service," Ney said. "It's a common problem that people leave their personal items in taxicabs."
So common there have been 1,600 lost and found item reports so far this year. Donna Kerwick, a taxi enforcement analyst, is also "the finder", using customer clues to track the cab.
"If they used a credit card, we can instantly find it with the last four digits of their credit card number, and it leads right back to the cab," she said. "Without a credit card, we can still finding it by tracking the GPS."
Yet Kerwick's office has a pile of unclaimed stuff, from a stroller to a booster seat and a suitcase without any identification, in or out. There's also a closet down the hall with even more orphaned merchandise.
To contact taxi/limo lost and found, call 215-683-9440 or visit www.taxicomplaint.org