What to do if you leave things on the bus

Even if it happens rarely, it can still happen. And if you want to know in advance what to do in such a situation, or this has already happened, this article is for you. And if you need a reliable bus carrier who, if anything happens, can help you find your lost things - you can book bus tickets online with Heybus. 

Don't panic!

Panic is your worst enemy, and it can only make things worse. In a fit of panic, you can cause trouble or even lose even more things. Therefore, first of all - calm down, if you are calm - keep it up! 

To make it easier to calm down, buy yourself something tasty. If you are taking sedatives as prescribed by your doctor, you can take this sedative. The main thing is not to take more than you are allowed.

If you are still at the bus station

If the loss of things was discovered at the bus station, especially if you did not have time to move too far from the bus, return as quickly as possible and find the driver or other employee of the bus company that transported you. If the company is responsible for your luggage (it’s better to find out in advance), they will definitely help you. 

If the company is not responsible for the luggage, this depends more on the conscientiousness of these employees, because your things could already become someone else's things. But it’s definitely worth contacting them.

• In the most positive case, your things will be found somewhere on the bus or in the luggage compartment and you will get away with a little stress.
• In the worst case, they will help you contact the local police or the bus station administration, because they usually have surveillance cameras. 

Check everything carefully

Most likely, you have had situations where things magically got “lost” right in the same room. Therefore, just in case, double-check everything. Better yet, check it several times. And don’t forget to check in the place where “well, it definitely can’t be there.” Most often it will lie there! 

Check your suitcases; if you left something for storage at a hotel or somewhere else, check the things left there. Most often the “lost” things are in one of these places. Still haven't found your things? Then let's move on to the next step.

Call the bus company

If you are already far from the bus station, have double-checked all your belongings, and generally quite a lot of time has passed, you need to call the bus company. Tell me which bus you were on and what items were missing. Perhaps your item is still on the bus and you can pick it up the next time the bus arrives at the bus station you came to. Calmly explain the situation to the operator who answers your call, and follow that person's instructions. 

Call your relatives or friends

Another option after you have called the bus company is to call your friends or acquaintances. If the lost item is still on the bus, your friends will be able to pick it up when it arrives back at the bus station from which you left. 

But for this to be possible, it is necessary to coordinate actions with the bus company, because the driver, most likely, will not give up someone’s item “on parole.” Remember to be polite to those you call. 

Local police

Even though this does not happen everywhere and not too often, someone else could still take your things. This could have happened either by accident or on purpose. Since most bus stations have video cameras, you should first contact the bus station security service. They will be able to confirm from the cameras that someone took your things.

After this, you should immediately call the local police, having a video recording of the case “will be solved.” very fast. If you are not very lucky and there is no video evidence, describe in great detail everything that was lost/stolen. There is still a chance that they will help you.

Modern technologies! 

Modern technologies can make everything a lot easier. If among the lost items was a laptop, smartphone or something else connected to, for example, a Google account, you can try to track your device online. If there is a lot of valuable data there, you can even block it or configure data deletion; usually the command will work the next time the device connects to the Internet (after all, the command needs to reach your device).

Also, as an option, you can buy GPS trackers for all your bags and suitcases. Such beacons are usually quite cheap (the cheapest are about 100-150 UAH per piece). Once connected and configured, you can monitor them from your smartphone, for example. Duration of “service” Such beacons can reach many weeks or even months on battery alone. And if you are transporting a lot of valuable things, this purchase can pay for itself very quickly. 

Insurance

Some bus companies offer insurance for your own health and life, as well as for your belongings. You should especially pay attention to this if you are transporting something valuable. For example, a lot of electronics such as laptops and smartphones, gold, currency. It is best to insure this before your trip. 

You can insure either with the bus company itself (if available) or with some other insurance company. Insurance itself can be quite expensive - up to tens of thousands of hryvnia. But if you are transporting things that are worth much more (or those that have moral and emotional value rather than physical) - this is much better than losing them without a trace.