HONG KONG , — A new bus tour in Hong Kong might be the perfect solution for travel-starved and sleep-deprived residents.
People who fall asleep easily on long bus rides will enjoy the 76-kilometer (47 mile) ride on a regular double-decker bus. This idea was born out of the common tendency for tired commuters and to fall asleep on public transportation.
Kenneth Kong, marketing and business development manager at ulutravel, who organized the bus tours, said that “When we were brainstorming new tour ideas, I noticed a post from a friend on social media saying that he was stressed by his work and couldn’t sleep at nights.”
He was able to fall asleep well when he was on the bus. We were inspired by his post to create this tour where passengers can just sleep on the bus.
Tickets range in price from $13 to $51 per head, depending on whether the passengers choose to sit on the upper deck or lower. Passenger’s goodie bag includes an eye-mask, earplugs and a pillow for better sleep.
Last Saturday’s “Sleeping Bus Tour”, which was the first, sold out completely. Some passengers brought their own blankets, others brought their slippers and changed their shoes to slippers. Others brought travel pillows.
Anson Kong, 25, said that he was suffering from insomnia and was one of the passengers on the bus tour.
He stated that the tour was a great idea and more interesting than he had expected.
The bus stopped at scenic spots on Lantau Island during Saturday’s tour. Passengers can take selfies with the aircraft background at the aircraft maintenance area close to Hong Kong’s Airport.
Marco Yung, another passenger, stated that he joined this tour because he often falls asleep on long-distance buses and said it was a great opportunity to sleep.
According to Dr. Shirley Li (principal investigator of the Sleep Research Clinic and Laboratory, University of Hong Kong), the tendency to fall asleep on public transport is a form of conditioning.
Li stated that Hong Kongers don’t have enough sleep time. “That is why we have to use other times to sleep, such as our daily commute or when we travel on public transport.”
“Some people may associate public transport with sleep. She explained that some people found it easier to fall asleep on a bus than they did on the train.
