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Amy Nip

Wheelchairs, figures of the Buddhist goddess of mercy Kwun Yum and wigs are among 4,000 items left behind on buses each month, according to KMB. But since January an electronic lost-property management system launched by the bus company has been helping reunite owners with their property. 
By July, it had handled about 1,700 cases of lost property a month. The monthly total of items handled, since passengers sometimes leave more than one item at a time, came to more than 4,000. 
The Octopus card was the object most commonly left behind, constituting 13 per cent of the total, Wong Hon-chuen,   operations manager of KMB's Lai Chi Kok depot, said.
Hong Kong dollars, purses and mobile phones followed, at 10, 9 and 8 per cent of the total respectively. Hong Kong identity cards  ranked fifth, at 7 per cent. 
Bulky items did not make it to the top of the list, but they  are also commonly seen by staff from the lost-property section. They include baby strollers, fishing rods, drills and computer circuitry. 
There are musical instruments, including violins and erhu.    Wheelchairs and walking sticks were also among the forgotten items.
Mr Wong recalled some happy reunions. 
In 2005, a retired man had left  his camera, in which were photos taken during a trip before his health deteriorated. 
In another case, a woman left a laptop belonging to her company on a bus. The relieved employee drew a cartoon thanking KMB staff when she recovered it. 
Since the launch of the electronic system, about 70 to 80 per cent of items have found their way back into owners' hands. Previously, KMB did not even record figures.
Lost property records of all depots and bus terminuses are put into the system, and staff can locate items within a few seconds. 
Previously, records of lost items were handwritten, and  various depots kept different records. Passengers who had travelled  on more than one bus before noticing they had lost property had to wait for KMB staff to search records at different depots.
On the first day after losing an item, a passenger should contact a terminus supervisor. Supervisors keep lost items for a day before sending them to the lost-property management team. People can also call  KMB's hotline, 2745 4466,  to retrieve lost property.



Forgot your wheelchair on the bus? KMB ensures all is not lost