Lost Property Procedure
If you believe you left a personal item in a chauffeur vehicle, contact us as soon as possible. We will use the booking information available to help identify the journey and make reasonable efforts to locate the property.
We understand that losing personal belongings can be stressful. This procedure explains the information we need from you, how found property is handled and how an item can be returned if it is located.
Tell us what you have lost
Please complete our online Lost Property Form where available, or contact the office directly. The more accurately you can identify the journey and item, the easier it is for us to make enquiries.
How we check for lost property
Once we can identify the relevant booking, we will make reasonable enquiries with the chauffeur or operator involved and check any relevant information available to our office.
Found items
Chauffeurs are expected to take reasonable care when checking the passenger area between journeys and to report property they find so that an appropriate return can be arranged.
Where found property is transferred into Drive Chauffeur's possession, it will be kept with reasonable care while attempts are made to identify or contact the owner. The appropriate handling period and eventual disposal method can depend on the nature and value of the item and any applicable licensing, legal or police guidance.
High-value, sensitive or potentially dangerous items
Passports, identity documents, bank cards, medication, electronic devices, keys, cash or potentially dangerous or unlawful items may require different handling. Where appropriate, we may seek instructions from the police, licensing authority, issuing organisation or another relevant body rather than retaining the item under the ordinary lost-property process.
Claiming an item
Before releasing property, we may ask for enough information to establish that the person claiming it is the likely owner or is authorised to collect it.
For security, property will not normally be handed to an unrelated third party without suitable authorisation.
Licensing authority enquiries
Drive Chauffeur is licensed as a Private Hire Operator by Guildford Borough Council. If the council or another competent authority contacts us about a lost-property matter, we will cooperate appropriately and provide information where there is a lawful basis to do so.
The exact lost-property reporting and escalation arrangements operated by the council can change, so customers should use Guildford Borough Council's official licensing pages for current information rather than relying on an assumed external register.
Guildford Borough Council LicensingItems cannot always be recovered
We will make reasonable efforts to assist, but reporting an item does not guarantee that it will be found. An item may not have been left in the vehicle, may have been removed before it was noticed, or the vehicle may have completed further journeys before the loss was reported.
Passengers remain responsible for checking that they have their personal belongings when leaving the vehicle. Any legal responsibility for lost property will remain subject to applicable law and the circumstances of the individual case.
Think you left something behind?
Contact us promptly with your booking details and a clear description of the missing item.