Uber plans to charge riders for their forgotten smartphones and bags, introducing a lost item fee to compensate drivers who return lost property.

The $15 (£12) fee has been added to the ride-hailing service in some US cities to reward drivers who return items that have been left behind by passengers.

The lost item return fee will initially affect customers in Boston and Chicago, but could soon be added more widely.

The update is the latest in a number of recent changes Uber has made to its policies as part of its "180 Days of Change", a project to improve the experience of its thousands of self-employed drivers.

It is not clear when the lost item fee will come to the UK, where there is currently no requirement to pay drivers for returning lost property. At the moment, users who have left items behind in cars can request that they are returned by going to "Help" then "Trips" and contacting the driver.

In other countries, where the Uber app includes a tipping service, the company suggests customers tip drivers for returning property.