System and method for returning lost items

A method of delivering a property item left in a transportation environment to a passenger of the transportation environment, comprising:

• receiving, from the passenger, a request for an expedited delivery of the property item;
• determining, in response to a receipt of information that indicates a detection of the property item left behind in a vehicle, a first waypoint based on a location of the property item, wherein a determination of the first waypoint uses:
• in response to a receipt of the request for the expedited delivery, a first radial threshold to define an area from which to identify a potential participant for a return of the property item,
• in response to an absence of the receipt of the request for the expedited delivery, a second radial threshold to define the area from which to identify the potential participant for the return of the property item,
• a measure of the first radial threshold being greater than a measure of the second radial threshold, the second radial threshold being used for a determination of the first waypoint in the absence of the receipt of the request for the expedited delivery;
• determining a second waypoint based on a pickup location identified by the passenger;
• constructing, in response to the receipt of the request for the expedited delivery, an expedited delivery route between the first waypoint and the second waypoint, wherein the expedited delivery route includes a trip, selected from the records of trips, in which a sum associated with the trip is less than the sum associated with any other trip from the record of trips, the sum being a distance between a trip beginning location and the first waypoint added to a distance between a trip ending location and the second waypoint, the expedited delivery route having a first segment and a second segment, the first segment corresponding to a portion of a first trip to be carried out by an autonomous vehicle in the transportation environment, the second segment corresponding to a portion of a second trip to be carried out by another vehicle in the transportation environment, an intersection of the first segment and the second segment being a handoff point, the expedited delivery route including an adjustment of a timing of the first trip so that the autonomous vehicle and the other vehicle are at the handoff point within a window of time, the adjustment of the timing being such that a deviation of an overall timing of the first trip is within a threshold amount of time, a distance of the expedited delivery route being less than a distance of a delivery route constructed in the absence of the receipt of the request for the expedited delivery;
• transmitting a request for confirmation to at least one participant of at least one of the first trip or the second trip, the request including information about the adjustment of the timing;
• obtaining confirmation of acceptance of the expedited delivery route and the adjustment of the timing from the at least one participant of the at least one of the first trip or the second trip;
• communicating, to the autonomous vehicle, an instruction to be executed by an autonomous driving module of the autonomous vehicle to control at least one vehicle system of the autonomous vehicle to execute the first trip with the adjustment of the timing;
• and
• obtaining confirmation of delivery of the property item by the at least one participant and/or the passenger in accordance with the expedited delivery route.

A system, comprising:

• a processor;
• a database configured to store records of trips;
• a memory storing a module configured to cause the processor to:
• receive a request for an expedited delivery of a property item,
• determine a first waypoint based on a location of the property item and a second waypoint based on a pickup location, wherein a determination of the first waypoint uses:
• in response to a receipt of the request, a first radial threshold to define an area from which to identify a potential participant for a return of the property item, and
• in response to an absence of the receipt of the request, a second radial threshold to define the area from which to identify the potential participant for the return of the property item,
• the first radial threshold being greater than the second radial threshold, the second radial threshold being used for a determination of the first waypoint in the absence of the receipt of the request, and
• construct, in response to the receipt of the request, a route, between the first waypoint and the second waypoint, wherein the route includes a trip, selected from the records of trips, in which a sum associated with the trip is less than the sum associated with any other trip from the record of trips, the sum being a distance between a trip beginning location and the first waypoint added to a distance between a trip ending location and the second waypoint, the route having at least one segment, a segment, of the at least one segment, to be traversed by an autonomous vehicle, a distance of the route being less than a distance of a route constructed in the absence of the receipt of the request;
• and
• a communication system configured to communicate, to the autonomous vehicle, an instruction to cause the autonomous vehicle to move along the segment.