The 76-kilometer, five-hour ride on a regular double-decker bus around the territory is meant to appeal to people who are easily lulled to sleep by long rides. It was inspired by the tendency of tired commuters to fall asleep on public transit.

"When we were brainstorming new tours, I saw a social media post from my friend saying that he was stressed out by his work, he couldn't sleep at night," said Kenneth Kong, marketing and business development manager of bus tour organizer ulu travel.

"But when he was traveling on the bus, he was able to sleep well. His post inspired us to create this tour that lets passengers just sleep on the bus."

Packages cost between HK$99 and HK$399, depending on whether they choose seats on the upper or lower deck. A goodie bag for passengers includes an eye mask and earplugs for better sleep.

The first "Sleeping Bus Tour" last Saturday sold out. Some passengers came prepared, bringing their own blankets and changing their shoes to slippers, while others brought travel pillows.

"I have been suffering from insomnia so I am here to try to get some sleep," said 25-year-old Anson Kong, one of the passengers on the first bus tour.

On Saturday's tour, the bus stopped so passengers could take photos at scenic spots on Lantau. One stop was the aircraft maintenance area near Hong Kong airport, where passengers can take selfies with aircraft in the background.

Another passenger, Marco Yung, said that he joined the tour because he usually falls asleep on long-distance bus journeys, saying it was a great opportunity.

Ellise Ying, business development manager of ulu travel, told The Standard that the upper deck of last Saturday’s bus tour catered for people to sleep while the lower deck was for people to take photos and listen to bus fact sharing.

The travel agency noticed some passengers did not really sleep so it will hold two separate bus tours on November 14, one for sleeping and another for photo-taking.

She expects about 40 people on the sleeping tour and 80 on the other tour.

Both tours are expected to travel the same route on Tuen Mun Road and North Lantau Highway.

Both tours are available for booking starting from yesterday. The packages for the sleeping tour are HK$129 or above, while the "moving party room" tour costs HK$99 or above.

Ulu travel hopes to continue operating the sleeping bus tour for people who are unable to sleep, Ying said, but bus tours will not be launched regularly.

The route of the bus tours could change.

The tendency to fall asleep on public transport is a type of conditioning, says Shirley Li Xin, the principal investigator of the Sleep Research Clinic and Laboratory at the University of Hong Kong.

"People in Hong Kong don't have enough time to sleep," Li said. "That's why we have to use other times to sleep, which is our daily commute, especially when we are traveling on public transport.

"Some people may tend to associate public transport with their sleep and that's why they find it easier to fall asleep on the bus."