【Kaohsiung News】
To care for the physical and mental well-being of frontline bus drivers and enhance overall traffic safety, the Transportation Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government has pioneered the introduction of professional visually impaired massage services into bus dispatch stations starting from this year’s Labor Day. Through the “Five-Heart Driver” physical and mental care program, which emphasizes “attentiveness, compassion, comfort, honor, and empathy,” bus drivers are able to receive timely relaxation and support during their busy work schedules. The program also creates more employment opportunities for visually impaired persons, fostering an inclusive environment built on warmth and mutual benefit.
The Transportation Bureau stated that bus drivers spend long hours every day concentrating on complex traffic conditions and passenger service, and these physical and mental stresses are often an unseen part of their daily work.To strengthen physical and mental care for bus drivers, the Transportation Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government is specially promoting this year’s initiative under the core theme of “Honoring the Five Hearts and Professional Craftsmanship: Steadily Advancing Every Mile, Safeguarding Every Heart.” By putting the “Five-Heart” spirit into practice, the program begins with drivers’ physical and mental recovery and comprehensively enhances occupational health and professional dignity.
The “Five Hearts” refer to: “attentiveness,” meaning focusing on road conditions and strictly maintaining driving safety; “compassion,” meaning serving passengers with disabilities and wheelchair users while warmly caring for every passenger; “comfort,” meaning relaxing through massage to relieve driver fatigue and provide higher-quality bus services; “honor,” meaning commending outstanding drivers and giving substantive recognition to the hard work and value of the driving profession; and “empathy,” meaning driving smoothly without sudden braking or abrupt stops, while fostering mutual understanding between passengers and drivers and jointly creating a friendly transportation environment.
The Transportation Bureau stated that the visually impaired massage service is being introduced first by arranging professional massage therapists to provide services at bus stations, allowing bus drivers to receive immediate and convenient stress-relief support before departing, between shifts, or during work breaks.
The Transportation Bureau explained that the visually impaired massage service program will be implemented from this year’s Labor Day through the end of December. Each week, visually impaired massage therapists will be engaged to provide services at 14 bus stations across the city, with an estimated 490 sessions to be offered. Bus drivers will not need to pay any fees and may flexibly arrange professional visually impaired massage services according to openings in their own schedules. One driver who had just completed duty and participated in the on-site experience said, “After the massage, not only was my stress completely released, but my heavy shoulders also became incredibly light, and I felt full of energy.”
The Kaohsiung City Bus Joint Management Committee stated that this program promoted by the Transportation Bureau uses professional massage services to relieve occupational shoulder and neck injuries caused by long hours of driving. It can effectively improve driving concentration and ensure passenger safety, serving as a key support for “preventive safety.” In addition, amid labor shortages in the industry, this substantive physical and mental care helps strengthen drivers’ professional identification and the attractiveness of the occupation, while establishing “professional dignity” and incentives for talent retention. Bus operators are also willing to provide additional subsidies and jointly support the initiative.
The Transportation Bureau emphasized that this program not only cares for drivers’ physical and mental health, but also expands employment fields and opportunities for visually impaired massage therapists. Under the name of the “Five Hearts,” the Bureau hopes to transform tense bus dispatch stations into warm professional recharge stations, ensuring that drivers are well cared for and that visually impaired professionals are recognized. This initiative will bring more warmth and care into Kaohsiung’s bus service environment, safeguarding every mile traveled by Kaohsiung citizens.
