‘Hongkongers are really tired’: online sympathy for sleepy Good Samaritan who snoozes on luggage rack of double-decker city bus
- Online photo shows man curled up, using a bag as a pillow on the luggage rack of the crowded lower deck of a bus
- Initial criticism of the man turns to sympathy after another passenger reveals the real reason he ended up in an unusual ‘bed’
A man who fell asleep on a Hong Kong bus has provoked a lively discussion on the city’s social media.
While napping on public transport is hardly unusual in Hong Kong, it was the exact location on the bus where the man chose to get some shut-eye which has generated so much interest.
The sleep-deprived passenger chose to snooze on the double-decker’s luggage rack.
On a Facebook group that shares breaking news from the city and has close to 100,000 followers, one user shared a photo on last weekend and said: “When you are tired, just sleep.”
The photo shows a packed lower deck and a man wearing shorts and a mask lying on a luggage rack.
His legs are curled up and there is a bag under his head doubling as a pillow.
The vehicle’s electronic information screen shows the bus is travelling across the city’s Kowloon peninsula and its next stop to be Ma Tau Kok Road in To Kwa Wan.
The photo quickly captured the attention of social media.
Some expressed concern for the man, with one saying: “Maybe he was just too tired.”
Others questioned the bus driver: “Why did the driver do nothing about this?”
It was only when someone who claimed to have been on the same bus offered more context that the situation became clear, prompting more concern for the sleepy passenger.
That passenger said that an elderly woman on crutches got on the bus around 5pm that day and only the “sleeper”, who was nodding off on a normal seat, got up to give her a berth.
Clutching a large bag, he cursed the other passengers for their lack of compassion towards the elderly woman.
It was at this point he chose the luggage rack to rest his weary limbs.
After learning the story behind the photo, people began to show the man more sympathy.
Of more than 100 comments, the one that received most likes simply said: “Hong Kong people are miserable. Just let him sleep.”
“Hongkongers are really tired,” said another.
