Thousands of items get left on OC Transpo buses every year -- among the most popular are five to 12 cellphones each day.
In all, 30,000 items get left behind on buses every year -- from video cameras, to iPods to strollers. Among the most unusual -- a power washer.
"I have no idea why we'd receive a power washer, but someone at the sale will reap the benefits of this loss," said Maureen Moloughney, executive director of Heartwood House, an umbrella organization that administers OC Transpo's lost and found.
"The real question is: why aren't they calling the next day?"
Although three quarters of the lost cellphones eventually reconnect with their owners, many never get answered again.
"A cellphone is so easy to just put down, or you think you put it back into your cellphone holder. Lo and behold when you get off the bus, it's not there," said Moloughney.
Cellphones are the only items that don't go up for sale at OC Transpo's annual lost and found auction. Instead, the phones are recycled for parts.
"There might be issues with the information that's on them, some secure information, at least this way the motherboard, main circuit boards, they don't go back out in the street," said cellphone recycler Rick Bechamp.
This year's auction will be held at Heartwood House at 153 Chapel St. on Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the charity group.
Meantime, if you think you've lost an item while riding OC Transpo, you can call the lost and found centre at 613-563-4011.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Vanessa Lee
