Standard Operating Procedure
SOP-10
Lost Property Management
What to do with items passengers leave behind – from umbrellas to wallets.
Version 1.0 – TBS approvedFormat A – ChecklistAudience: Bus & Coach DriversReading level: Grade 6–8
1 Quick reference card
This quick reference card is the short version of this SOP. It is one page of the Quick Reference Handbook, the ring of cards in the cab. If you only have 30 seconds, use the card. The full procedure starts below.
SOP-10 Quick reference
Lost Property
Management
Management
Found an item? Do this
Side A
Found an Item – In Order
- 1Empty vehicle check at the end of every shift or run – seats, floors, seat pockets, luggage racks, wheelchair spaces.
- 2Unattended and suspicious? STOP – treat it under SOP-08. Don’t touch it.
- 3Ordinary item: remove it and keep it safe.
- 4Hand everything in the same shift, to the first person who can log it: a CSO on duty at Central Station, otherwise Operations at your depot (open 5 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday). They give you a ticket. Office closed? Keep the item safe and hand it in when it next opens. Never leave anything on a desk or a seat.
- 5Passenger asks about a lost item: Operations 07 3733 3599. On rail replacement services: Queensland Rail 13 16 17. Hand an item back on the bus only when Operations tell you to.
A suspicious item is not lost property
Hidden, wired, leaking, or oddly placed? That is SOP-08. Do not touch it.On rail replacement services
A Customer Service Officer (CSO) on duty at Central Station? Hand it to them. Nobody there – late run, station closed? Hand it to Operations at the depot; they pass it to Queensland Rail / Translink.
SOP-10 Quick reference
Lost Property
Management
Management
Rules, checklist & contacts
Side B
Key Rules & Thresholds
Hand-in deadline
Same
Shift
Every found item is handed in before you finish: to the CSO on duty at Central Station, otherwise to Operations at your depot.
Valuables
Hand to
Hand
Wallets, phones, keys: straight to Operations, never left on a desk.
Retention
45
Days
Items are held 45 days from logging, then disposed of.
Claims
By
Phone
Operations 07 3733 3599 · rail replacement: Queensland Rail 13 16 17. Hand an item back on the bus only when Operations tell you to.
What the Register Needs From You
- Date and time found
- Bus number and route
- Where on the vehicle it was found
- Description: brand, colour, features
- Condition (damaged, wet, new)
- Your name
Contacts
Emergency000
Operations07 3733 3599
2 Purpose
This SOP tells you what to do with property passengers leave on your bus.
3 Applies To
All drivers on TBS services – TBS employees and contracted drivers alike (not the drivers of self-managed operators, who follow their own procedures) – for any item found on a vehicle or handed to you by a passenger. Steps marked Supervisor are performed by Operations.
4 Step-by-Step Procedure
This is a checklist procedure. Do the steps in this order.
Phase 1 – Find
- 1
Driver Do the empty vehicle check at the end of every shift or run: seats, floors, seat pockets, luggage racks, wheelchair spaces (SOP-11).
Suspicious? Different SOP.
If an unattended item looks hidden, wired, leaking or deliberately placed – stop. Do not touch it. Follow SOP-08 · Suspicious Item- 2
Driver Remove and safeguard ordinary found items. Keep them with you – not on a seat, not in the cab overnight.
Phase 2 – Hand In
- 3
Driver Hand every found item in the same shift, to the first person who can log it. On a rail replacement run: the Customer Service Officer (CSO) on duty at Central Station. On every other run, and when no CSO is there: a person at Operations at your depot – Joyner or Brendale, whichever you sign off at. Fill in the lost-property slip (your name, date, route, bus number, what the item is); Operations enter it in the register and give you a ticket. Never leave anything on a desk or a seat, least of all wallets, phones, keys or jewellery.
On rail replacement services
Overnight, three-week or major closure – the rule is the same: a CSO on duty at Central Station takes it and it goes into the Queensland Rail / Translink lost-property system. Late run, station closed, nobody there? It comes back to the depot with you and Operations pass it on. You do not need to know the station’s hours – hand it to whoever can log it.Operations office closed?
Operations are staffed 5 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday. Found something outside those hours – a late run, a weekend? Keep the item safe, with you or locked in the bus, and hand it in with the slip when the office next opens. Valuables never sit on a desk or a seat.- 4
Driver Perishable, soiled or hazardous items (food, drinks, sharps): do not store them with other property. Tell Operations – they are disposed of immediately under health and safety protocols.
- 5
Driver Give the details for the Register: date/time found, bus and route, where on the vehicle, description, condition, your name.
- 6
Supervisor Log every item in the Lost Property Register and issue the ticket. Store items securely in the marked lost-property area. Attempt to identify and contact owners.
Phase 3 – Claims and Questions
- 7
Driver A passenger asks about a lost item? Give them the number: Operations, 07 3733 3599. Never hand an item to a passenger on the bus on your own judgement – even if they say it is theirs.
- 8
Driver Operations call you about an item on your bus? This is the everyday case: the passenger rang, Operations know where you will be and have told them the stop. Hand the item over when Operations tell you to – only then, and only that item.
On rail replacement services
Items from rail replacement runs are held in the Queensland Rail / Translink lost-property system. Passengers enquire with Queensland Rail on 13 16 17.- 9
Supervisor Verify claims (description, proof where appropriate). On return: record who, when, and get the recipient’s signature and contact number.
Retention: 45 days
Items are held for 45 days from logging. Unclaimed items are then disposed of (donation or destruction) and the disposal recorded.5 Associated Forms & Tools
| Item | What it is used for |
|---|---|
| Lost Property Register | Kept by Operations. Your lost-property slip (name, date, route, bus number, description) feeds it; the ticket is your receipt. |
| Operations | 07 3733 3599 – where passengers enquire and claim (road services). Operations decide whether an item is handed back on the bus or collected at the depot. |
| Queensland Rail | 13 16 17 – where passengers enquire about items from rail replacement runs. |
6 Related SOPs
| SOP | Title | Why it matters here |
|---|---|---|
| SOP-08 | Security & Counter-Terrorism | When an unattended item is suspicious. |
| SOP-11 | Post-Shift: Vehicle Handover | The empty vehicle check, where most items are found. |
7 Related Policies
These TBS policies are the source of this SOP. They carry the full rules and the legal detail.
| Policy | What it covers |
|---|---|
| TBS Lost Property Policy | The register, storage, valuables, retention (45 days), claims, privacy and disposal. |
| TBS Privacy Policy | Handling of personal information in found items, the register, and claims. |
§ Version Control
| Version | Date | Author | Approved by | Summary of changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 8 September 2026 | Buswise | TBS approved | First issue. |
Driver acknowledgement of this SOP is recorded in Mitti: the combined SOP document (SOP-01 to SOP-14) is acknowledged once, at onboarding, in Mitti Training.