Misplaced your bike, cellphone or prosthetic leg on the Metro rail? Here’s how to get them back

If you’ve ever lost something valuable on a Metro bus or train and assumed it was gone forever, take heart: There is a system for reuniting riders with their possessions.

The Los Angeles Metro Lost & Found office off Pasadena Avenue in Montecito Heights has items as varied as cellphones and blowtorches that have been found by Metro staff or security guards on buses and rail lines.

Patrick Diaz has been riding the city’s sprawling public transportation system since 2003; he’s now the communications manager for Metro’s customer experience department.

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He still remembers when he lost his high school textbook years ago on the 207 bus that departs from the Crenshaw station on Western Avenue. At the time, he didn’t think about looking, believing it was lost forever.

After witnessing and participating in reuniting Metro riders with their displaced things, Diaz strongly encourages people not to give up on lost possessions.

Metro recovers approximately 1,000 items a month and processes close to 15,000 items a year. It has a 30% rate of return, meaning 30% of lost items are recovered and reunited with their owners, he said.

A prosthetic leg leans beside a toy horse at the Metro Lost & Found office on March 5.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

What kind of things get found

Witnessing the emotions of people reuniting “with their treasures, it doesn’t matter how small or large,” brings joy, said Vanessa Smith, executive officer of customer care for the Metro system.

Smith said she was once contacted by a mother whose daughter lost a button from her coat. “It was a very ornate button and that seems small to someone but not to the owner,” she said. That button was found and returned.

While most missing items are typical things that people travel with like cellphones, backpacks and glasses, Diaz said there have been a number of unique items turned in, including a prosthetic leg, musical instruments, 55-inch-screen TVs and large generators.

“We see a large volume of recovered items coming through our bus operations, for example bicycles that are typically left on the front bike rack,” he said.

Bikes can be an afterthought when a rider is rushing to catch a connecting bus or just plain forgets to alert the bus driver that they need to remove their bike from the bus rack, Diaz said.

This is how the process works: A missing item, like an engagement ring (one was found on the B Line on Valentine’s Day this year) is discovered by a security guard or a Metro staff member who then turns it in to the bus or rail operator who then takes it to the division office. The item is logged and eventually transported to the Lost & Found office.

This process can take three to five business days, Diaz said.

Rows of left-behind bikes.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

How to report your lost item

You can report your lost item online or in person at the Lost & Found office at 3571 Pasadena Ave., which is adjacent to the A-Line Heritage Station.

The office is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. but is closed on major holidays.

The most important information to include in your report is:

• The bus or rail line on which the item was lost
• The date the item was lost
• A description of the item such as the color, size and brand

Once your report is submitted, you’ll get a confirmation email that includes a reference number. Save this document as you’ll need to provide the reference number along with a valid ID to recover the lost item if it’s found.

Metro Lost & Found agents will receive a copy of the form and begin their search for the item and will communicate with you every step of the way, Diaz said.

How long will Metro hold on to a lost item?

Metro will hold on to your item for no more than 90 days.

Metro staff found your item! How to retrieve it

If your item has been found by Metro staff, you’ll have to go to the Lost & Found office to pick it up. Remember to have your reference number and a valid ID with you.

If your lost bike is recovered, you’ll have to take a trip to the Lost & Found Bike Cage at the Metro Headquarters building at 1 Gateway Plaza in downtown Los Angeles.

The offices at the Metro Headquarters are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3:30 p.m.

When you speak with a representative at the headquarters offices, they’ll escort you to the bike cage, which currently holds more than 600 left-behind bikes.

What happens to unclaimed lost items?

Displaced items stay in the warehouse for 90 days. If they aren’t claimed they are sold at public auction.

Metro participates in one Lost & Found auction per month, according to the transportation agency.

“Proceeds from Lost & Found item auctions vary depending on the type and quantity of items available, from as little as $350 up to $2,600 per auction,” Metro said in an emailed statement to The Times. All proceeds from the auction of unclaimed items support bus and rail operations.

Some of the bikes are used in Metro’s Adopt A Bike Grant Program, which distributes them to those in need.