GEORGE NEWS - Shoes, a tin of baby formula, to school books, ID documents, cellphones, backpacks and fresh meat – these are just some of the items left behind on Go George buses.
It seems passengers get caught up in conversations or are in such a rush to get off the bus, that they forget what they have been carrying.
Although passengers are responsible for their own property and the bus company cannot take responsibility for items left behind, there is a system in place for managing goods found or handed in by passengers or staff.
Lost and found items are handed in at the bus depot and taken to the Go George office. Here it is entered in an inventory and kept for different periods, depending on the nature of the item – all according to an official Lost and Found Policy.
Phone immediately
The best route to retrieve lost items is to phone the Go George Call Centre as soon as you realise that you have left something on the bus.
The call centre agents will do everything in their power to trace the lost goods and give feedback to the passenger. If not found immediately, they will keep tabs on items brought to the office and inform the passenger of any finds.
Unclaimed goods donated
Go George will attempt to contact the owners of all found items with identification, but unclaimed goods cannot be kept indefinitely.
• Refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers must be discarded after four hours, according to government health rules. If a person phones within that time frame and their goods are found, arrangements for collection can still be made.
• Covered and sealed food will be kept from one to seven days (depending on the expiry date), whereafter it will be donated to the municipality's Social Development Directorate for distribution.
• Miscellaneous items such as clothing, cleaning materials, toys, umbrellas, sport equipment and books will be kept for 30 days before being donated to the Social Development Directorate.
• Valuable items such as electronic equipment, jewellery, cellphones and handbags will be kept for 30 days, whereafter it will be taken to the municipality to be sold at a municipal public auction to be held periodically – at least once a year (it will be duly advertised).
• Unclaimed cards, such as bank cards, ID cards, loyalty cards, etc, will be returned to the issuing authority after 30 days.
It should be noted that Go George and George Link staff cannot be held liable or responsible if lost items could not be traced or found.
There is a chance that it could have been lost elsewhere than on a Go George bus, or it might have been taken by a co-passenger when they realised that something had been left behind and that the owner had already left the bus.
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