Have you ever misplaced something you thought was gone forever? Perhaps a phone full of all your contacts and hundreds of photos, or a wallet with important documents and money. Maybe something irreplaceable, like a portfolio that took hours of your work or your child’s backpack filled with school projects. That sinking feeling, the rush of panic, the sadness, the frustration, but also the hope that someone might find it —those emotions play out every day across Metro’s buses, trains and stations.
For Patrick Diaz, Metro’s Lost & Found Manager, it’s moments like that — a sigh of relief, a grateful smile, a second chance— that remind him why he loves what he does. “Here we help people recover items that are very important to them,” he says. “It’s not just a thing; it’s a piece of their lives.”
As Metro celebrates Customer Service Week, the agency recognizes several departments that help riders every day, including the Lost & Found, whose team works to help thousands of forgotten belongings find their way home each year.
On average, the department of four people processes about 1,200 items per month -roughly 15,000 every year- ranging from the everyday to the extraordinary.
“Cellphones are the number one item forgotten in the system,” Patrick explains. “Then we receive books, glasses, laptops, backpacks, wallets, and even canes.” The team also encounters surprises such as musical instruments, skateboards and home decorations. However, there are also less common items like TV screens, video game consoles, and even a prosthetic leg.
“There was an artist who left her portfolio full of beautiful drawings and paintings on a bus… something like that is important because it’s a way to show your work,” he remembers. “She came to the office really worried. When we said, we had it, she was so grateful and happy because that was her only copy.”
Another time, a passenger lost his wallet with his rent money and was able to recover it. Even visitors from abroad have their own Metro miracles. Patrick recalls customers who lost their passports on the system too. “They were really happy and relieved when they got them back.”
There are many happy stories, however 75% of the objects that arrive at our Lost & Found are never claimed. “Three years ago, we found an engagement ring on Valentine’s Day,” Patrick remembers. “It was located on the B Line, but unfortunately, this item was never recovered by the owner.”
By California law, Metro holds all lost property for 90 days. After that, unclaimed items are sold at auction, except for bicycles – a portion of them go to Metro’s Adopt-A-Bike program (you can read more about it here).
If you find an item on a train, bus, or station platform, hand it to a bus or train operator, a Metro Ambassador or security personnel. From there, the item makes its way to the Lost & Found facility located at 3571 Pasadena Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90031 (near A Line Heritage Square Station.) The warehouse is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is closed on Sundays and holidays.
If you’ve lost something, you need to file a report, either in person by visiting the facility or calling 323.GO.Metro (323.466.3876). You can also report it online at metro.net/lostandfound. In any case, you’ll be asked to briefly describe the item, the date and location where it was lost and your contact information.
As advice, Patrick suggests activating the Find My Phone feature on cellphones and putting a tracker on backpacks. “If you have a bike, once you arrive at your stop, let the bus operator know that you’ll recover it from the front, so they wait for you,” he says. “Overall, just stay aware of what you have with you.”
The people behind Metro’s Lost & Found
Behind this careful process is a small but dedicated team, and one manager who knows exactly what it feels like losing something important.
Years ago, while visiting Chicago, Patrick misplaced his prescription sunglasses. “I was in a museum, and I was panicking because I couldn’t find them,” he recalls. “When I found them in the Lost & Found, it reminded me of the importance of the work we do. It’s the feeling of satisfaction when customers are reunited with something they thought was gone.”
At Metro’s Lost & Found, about four employees keep the operation running smoothly. Once items arrive the team sorts and categorizes the items, then carefully labels and stores everything in its designated area. This year, Metro also introduced new software to help track and organize lost items more efficiently. Staff can now upload photos into the database, making it easier to identify belongings.
Patrick is quick to point out that it takes a special kind of person to do this work. Together, the Lost & Found team —Brian Ledeay, Maricela Reyes, Luis Sanchez, and Nelson Garcia— brings combined 51 years of Metro service, along with previous experience in banking, retail, and sales, and a deep commitment to help others.
Each of them believes that great customer service begins with the right mindset. For example, Brian says empathy is essential —it helps customers feel heard and cared for. He also enjoys the variety of items that come through, which keeps the job interesting and full of surprises. Maricela believes patience is key, especially when emotions run high, and she loves witnessing the joy of reunions, whether through dancing or even singing.
Luis emphasizes that organization is the foundation of a successful department, ensuring every item is accounted for. And for Nelson, listening makes all the difference, giving customers space to tell their story which often leads to a positive experience.
As the team walks through the aisles filled with forgotten items, you can see shelves organized, each one holding a story waiting to be finished. And thanks to Metro’s Lost & Found team, many of those stories -like the artist and her portfolio or the man who found his rent money- eventually find their way home again.
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Can you consider writing a story on LA Metro’s process of decommissioning buses? Once a bus is outdated and upgraded, what happens to the decommissioned buses at the “bus graveyards”? Are they sold? Kept for parts? Both? What’s the specific data of how many buses Metro loses/acquires annually? The recent donation of decommissioned buses from CATA is also interesting. Do people often think of how public transportation must expand, beyond the traffic/walkable streets/augmented service? Special service for such a big event means finding additional vehicles, too. Do transit providers usually purchase more vehicles? If so, what happens to those vehicles once service is back to regular service? Are they decommissioned? Thanks!