Left Something on a Bus? We're Here to Help

There’s nothing as frustrating as when you step off a bus then realize, as it rumbles away, that you’ve left something inside. All you can think is: How am I going to get that back?

Fortunately, the answer is simple: contact the RideStore at Lynnwood Transit Center. If your item is found, it will be at the RideStore ready for pick-up after 8 a.m. the next business day. “We are in the business of trying to get your items back into your hands,” said Matt Coomes, RideStore supervisor.

Lots of bikes

Surprisingly, bicycles are one of the most common items left behind on buses, about 20-25 per month! Bikes are stored off-site because of their size, so please schedule an appointment with the RideStore for pick-up.

Bikes ready for pick-up by their owners.

Due to lack of space, bikes are held for 10 days before turning them over to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office as lost property. Other items are held for 14 days before being destroyed or donated.

More service = more found items
Community Transit is steadily expanding service and is now up to 37,000 rides every day. Consequently, there are more items going through Lost & Found than ever before. “We handle about 10,000 items per year now,” Matt said. (And some of those items are truly strange – click here to read more about the oddities left behind on our buses!)

RideStore Supervisor Matt Coomes
reviews items found on a single day.

Collecting all found items at the end of each day and sending them to a central location for pick-up is the most efficient way to handle such a high volume. “Emergency” items – such as critical medications, wallets or keys – receive special care. “We try to be proactive,” Matt said. “We want to reunite people with their stuff.”

No item too small
Obviously, checking your seat before getting off of a bus is the best way to prevent loss, but if you think you left something behind, Matt says to call the RideStore immediately. “It doesn’t matter if the item is small or has no value; if you lost it on a bus, call us. Chances are that we have it.”

If you leave an item on a Community Transit bus (or Snohomish County Sound Transit bus), call the RideStore at (425) 348-2350, or email ridestore@commtrans.org.