๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ Taipei ยท Getting around

Transport and the shape of the city in Taipei

An MRT that goes almost everywhere, a bike-share system that fills the gaps, and no real need for a car.

Get started in Taipei

The thing people get wrongTaipei is one of the easiest large Asian cities to live in without a car. Choose a flat within a few minutes of an MRT station and the rest of the transport question answers itself.

Indicative figures

  • MRT single fareNT$20 โ€“ NT$65Distance-based.
  • TPASS monthly passNT$1,200MRT, buses, local trains and YouBike's first 30 minutes in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan.
  • Taoyuan airport MRT~35โ€“50 minExpress and commuter services to Taipei Main.

Checked . Ranges, not quotes โ€” your Insider confirms the current numbers in Taipei before you commit to anything.

The MRT

Clean, frequent, air-conditioned, signed in English and covering the city and much of New Taipei. Fares are distance-based and low, an EasyCard taps you through, and the TPASS monthly pass, NT$1,200, covers the MRT, city buses, local trains and YouBike's first 30 minutes across Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan. It is the single reason a Taipei address can be judged almost entirely by its walking distance to a station.

  • EasyCard or iPASS for single fares; activate TPASS on the same card at an MRT machine.
  • Trains are frequent enough that timetables are irrelevant.
  • Eating, drinking and chewing gum are banned past the yellow line, with fines from NT$1,500.

YouBike and scooters

YouBike docks sit outside most stations and cover the last kilometre cheaply, with the first period often discounted. Taiwan is also a scooter culture: cheap, fast and the default for a great many residents. Riding one requires the correct licence class and, in practice, a degree of confidence in dense traffic.

  • YouBike is docked, dense and cheap; the EasyCard unlocks it.
  • Scooters require the appropriate licence; helmets are mandatory.
  • Riverside bike paths are extensive and genuinely pleasant.

Buses, taxis and rail beyond the city

The bus network is extensive and fills in where the MRT does not reach, with the same card. Taxis are plentiful, metered and inexpensive, and Uber operates alongside them. For longer journeys the High Speed Rail runs down the west coast โ€” Taipei to Kaohsiung in around ninety minutes โ€” and conventional TRA trains serve the east.

  • Buses take the same card; routes are shown in English in the apps.
  • Taxis are cheap and metered; Uber is available.
  • HSR from Taipei Main and Nangang; book ahead at holidays.

Driving

A car is rarely worth it in Taipei: parking is expensive and scarce, and the MRT is faster for most journeys. If you do drive, an international permit covers a short period and a Taiwanese licence can often be obtained on the strength of a foreign one depending on reciprocity with your country.

  • Parking is the main cost of car ownership here, not fuel.
  • Licence exchange depends on reciprocity with your home country.
  • Typhoon days and mountain roads are the two weather considerations.