KMB Depot Tour for the Visually Impaired

Rehabilitation Centre (RC) and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Project Grant: Family Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (FRC) were invited by Kowloon Motor Bus Corporation (KMB) to participate in the first "KMB Depot Tour for the Visually Impaired" and the "Visually Impaired Parent-Child Bus Depot Visit" on 12 April and 7 June 2025 respectively. 19 visually impaired trainees from RC and 20 parents, children and youth from FRC visited the Kowloon Bay Depot leading by the "Friends of KMB" volunteers. 

The tour was composed of many elements specifically designed for the visually impaired, such as tactile and audio descriptions. For the tactile experience, visitors were able to touch the windows of an electric double-decker bus to feel the vibrations of the brushes as the bus passed through a fully automatic bus washing machine. They could also touch the tyres and various bus components, enhancing their understanding of the bus’s structure. KMB also created a Braille depot tour brochure, enabling participants to read the contents while listening to the tour guide's explanations. The depot lounge they visited featured a "parts wall" displaying different bus components, such as pumps, exhaust pipes, and flywheels, allowing visually impaired members to touch and explore them.

After the event, a trainee from RC was interviewed and said that the visit allowed him to better understand the layout of the bus compartment. He found the bus washing process very astonishing. By touching the window, he could feel the power of the bus washing machine. The cleaning covered the entire bus. The bus was cleaned very well, and his own soul was felt being cleansed. Some young bus enthusiasts enjoyed to discuss the bus history with the KMB volunteers and they were fascinated by viewing various vintage bus models at close range. The highlight for the children was sitting in the bus simulator cockpit experiencing what it is like to be a bus driver, which brought them endless joy!