Travel planned carefully with the purchase of cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms can take a turn for the worse if you accidentally leave a valuable in a taxi.
Cities with large taxi and public transport networks, such as London and New York City, have a central number to call for lost property. In most places around the world only the goodwill of your taxi driver can help you get your property returned. Even then it is often difficult, if not impossible, for your taxi driver to later find you.
If you were in a citys licensed taxi, you should call central dispatch to inform them where you were picked up and dropped off and at what times.
The smarter move is to take steps to avoid leaving your valuables behind in the first place:
Take your time when exiting a taxi and no not leave until after you have paid the driver and taken the time to look around your seat to ensure you are not leaving anything behind.
Only travel in official taxis vs. possibly cheaper, unidentified taxis. Licensed taxis tend to be safer and more helpful in tracking lost property.
Consider ordering your taxis through your hotel which often has a long lasting relationship with the taxi service. This may prove helping in later tracking lost property.
By tipping your driver it may later incentivize him to return your property.
Label your valuables with a tag (check out a website called Reward Tag) which offers a reward in the case they are lost and found. www.cheapfares.com