Good luck if you lose a valuable possession on an MTA subway or bus.
The MTA inspector general’s office did an undercover field study, where it turned over 24 “lost’ items to transit workers in early 2024 — and was only able to retrieve one of them months later.
“The fact that many of OIG’s ‘found’ items did not reach the LPU [Lost and Found Property Unit] suggests that employees at stations or other NYC Transit facilities may be discarding lost property or retaining it for their own use,” the audit released Thursday by MTA IG Daniel Cort’s office said.
Meanwhile, a separate Long Island Road test found the IG could only retrieve 47% of 19 lost possessions handed over to LIRR employees.
“Our field tests revealed clear lapses in these lost-and-found systems, particularly at NYC Transit,” Cort said.
“Riders should have faith that their lost property is being handled responsibly and with care, and MTA agencies must have effective protocols in place to return those items.”
The random sample indicates that thousands of items lost by straphangers and bus riders are disappearing or in a black hole because of bureaucratic bungling — or worse.
MTA New York City Transit’s Lost Property Unit received more than 68,000 items last year. In turn, customers filed more than 31,500 claims seeking their return.
The audit found that subway and bus workers did not consistently document the lost belongings or were held too long in station booths and bus depots, instead of being turned over to the lost and found unit.
Similarly, the process of matching customers’ claims to items listed in the lost and found database is too cumbersome, creating a large backlog, the audit said./news
The probe found that when IG workers filed claims for the 24 lost items, only four of them made it to the Lost Property Unit — while 20 were not recorded in its database and could not be retrieved.
“For the majority of the items, a breakdown occurred at the very first stage of the lost and found process. Items that should have been received and processed for safekeeping — as required by law and agency policy — were likely instead disposed of or kept for their own use by employees in both Subways and Buses locations,” the report said.
“This apparent integrity issue is of considerable concern.”OIG was only able to successfully retrieve one of the 24 items — a keychain with an email address on its label.
MTA’s NYC Transit division agreed with nearly all of the nine recommendations to tighten up its storage, recording-keeping and retrieval procedures for lost possessions of straphangers.
“New York City Transit is committed to ensuring the best customer experience, including the safekeeping of all lost personal items. All transit employees are expected to follow the Lost Property Bulletin, which details the proper procedures when finding, handling and storing lost items while on duty,” said MTA spokesperson Laura Cala-Rauch.
“We’ve closely reviewed the Inspector General’s recommendations and will continue to ensure efficiency and accountability at transit Lost and Found facilities.”
The LIRR also has accepted the IG’s recommendations “and will implement changes to how lost items are tracked, stored and returned to customers,” the MTA spokesperson added.
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