Getting around Taiwan

Transit cards: EasyCard, iPASS and icash

Most people in Taiwan pay for transport with a stored-value card that you top up and tap. There are three brands: EasyCard (悠遊卡), iPASS (一卡通) and icash. All five metro systems take all three.

• EasyCard lists metro, buses, Taiwan Railway, High Speed Rail, ferries, public bikes, taxis and parking among its uses.
• iPASS is sold at 7-ELEVEN, FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK Mart, at information counters in Taipei Metro, Taoyuan Airport MRT and Kaohsiung MRT stations, at Taichung MRT passenger offices, and at the airport service centers at Taoyuan and Kaohsiung. There is no deposit, and the card price is not refunded.
• Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung metros also take contactless bank cards and phone wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay). You pay the single-journey fare. On Taipei Metro, bank card trips get no transfer discounts.

Student cards

EasyCard sells a Student card for students over 12 "with valid student status recognized by the Ministry of Education". iPASS and Kaohsiung Metro use the same wording. Taipei Metro lists the Student EasyCard at NT$100 and tells students to call 1999 or EasyCard (+886-2-412-8880) to confirm they qualify.

Good to know: on Taipei Metro and Kaohsiung Metro, a student card pays the same metro fare as a single-journey ticket. On Taipei Metro the bus to metro transfer discount within one hour is NT$8 for adult cards and NT$6 for student cards.

Cities with a metro

• Transfers in Greater Taipei: moving between Taipei Metro, the Danhai LRT, the Ankeng LRT and the Sanying Line within one hour takes NT$8 off with an adult, student or concession card.
• Taipei Metro frequent riders: since January 3, 2026, stored-value cards and QR codes paying full fare get cash back the next month: 5% for 11 to 20 trips, 10% for 21 to 40 trips and 15% for 41 or more. TPASS, credit cards and phone wallets don't count.
• Taichung MRT lists no student fare. Its tourist tickets are NT$120 for one day, NT$150 for 24 hours and NT$250 for 48 hours.
• Kaohsiung: a student iPASS pays the single-journey fare, with NT$5 off when you transfer from a paid Kaohsiung YouBike ride within one hour.

Good to know: under the Mass Rapid Transit Act, eating, drinking, chewing gum or betel nut in a metro's no-eating area can be fined NT$1,500 to NT$7,500.

Taichung city buses

Taichung city buses are free for rides up to 10 km, and longer rides cost at most NT$10, for eligible people with a registered card. Eligible people include students who attend a university or lower school in Taichung. Foreign students apply with their original passport and a student ID stamped for the current semester, or proof of enrollment. The benefit ends after the expected graduation date. Others pay by distance, from NT$15 by card.

Cities and counties with buses only

Outside the five metro areas, you get around by city bus and highway coach. The Highway Bureau runs a route search for highway coaches across Taiwan (also as the iBus 公路客運 app) and keeps an official list of every city and county bus site.

For trips to sights, the Tourism Administration runs the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (台灣好行), with 76 routes in 2024.

YouBike

YouBike 2.0, and the 2.0E e-bike, runs in 14 areas: Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu Science Park, Miaoli, Taichung, Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung. YouBike says it does not operate in Keelung. Other counties, including Yilan, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Penghu and Kinmen, are not on its list. One membership works in every area.

Two ways to rent

• Membership: you need a Taiwan mobile number (it gets a text code and becomes your account ID), your own national ID, ARC or passport number, and an EasyCard or iPASS. To link a credit card, register in the YouBike app.
• Single Rental, without a Taiwan number: in the YouBike app, choose "Rent via QR Code", then "Single Rental", and link a Visa, Mastercard, JCB or UnionPay card. A NT$3,000 hold is placed on the card. Each authorization lasts 120 hours. Single Rental does not get the free first 30 minutes.

New members who give their ID or ARC number and date of birth at sign-up have their first card enrolled in the public bicycle injury insurance at no cost. Riders must be between 140 cm and 190 cm tall.

Prices and the free first half hour

Members pay NT$10 per 30 minutes for the first 4 hours in most areas (NT$12 in Pingtung and Taitung). The 2.0E e-bike is NT$20 per 30 minutes for the first 2 hours (NT$25 in Taitung). Local governments pay for some of the ride, each on its own terms:

Most rate pages say the subsidy ends when the local government announces it. Returning a bike in a different area costs a dispatch fee.

→ Cycle.tw's page on YouBike for visitors covers renting, insurance and prices city by city, and its cycling rules page covers sidewalks, crossings and fines.

TPASS monthly passes

TPASS (行政院通勤月票) is a government-subsidized 30-day pass loaded onto an EasyCard, iPASS or icash card. The Highway Bureau says anyone can buy one: there is no buyer identity restriction and no separate half-price student version. A pass must be activated within 30 days of purchase, then runs for 30 consecutive days from the first ride.

• The NT$1,200 northern pass covers the metros, light rail, TRA, city buses, highway coaches and YouBike (first 30 minutes free, 60 in Taoyuan). For TRA and intercity buses, both ends of the trip must be inside the four cities.
• Southern passes (Kaohsiung, Tainan, Pingtung, Chiayi) are sold through MeN Go. On TRA they exclude Taroko, Puyuma, EMU3000 and other designated trains.
• The page we read doesn't say whether a foreign student counts as a Taichung resident for the lower prices.

Separately, TPASS 2.0+ gives cash back to frequent riders who register their card: 15% or 30% on buses and coaches, and 2% on TRA and the Taipei and New Taipei metros, up to NT$2,500 a month. Details are on the Highway Bureau's TPASS pages.

Trains: Taiwan Railway and High Speed Rail

Taiwan Railway (TRA)

• College student discount (大學生優惠): students currently enrolled at a university or college in Taiwan get 50%, 30% or 20% off the full adult fare on designated reserved-seat trains, for journeys of 50 km or more, while seats last. It covers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs. The rules define who qualifies by enrollment only and don't mention nationality. Riding dates run from August 17, 2026 to August 16, 2027.
• Proof on board: your own original student ID. If it has no current semester stamp, also carry a current-semester certificate of enrollment. Without valid proof you pay the full fare plus 50%.
• TR-PASS for foreign students (外國籍學生版): unlimited rides for 5 days (NT$800), 7 days (NT$1,050) or 10 days (NT$1,400), for foreign students enrolled at schools in Taiwan. Buy it in person at a TRA ticket window with your original passport or ARC plus an ISIC card or your Taiwanese school's student ID. It doesn't cover Taroko, Puyuma, EMU3000 and other designated trains, and gives no seat reservation.
• Booking: without a Taiwan ID number, book with your passport number. Booking opens 28 days ahead. Each ID or passport number can book up to 9 tickets per travel day.
• Cards: EasyCard, iPASS and icash work at stations on the main line and branch lines. Tap in and out every time. They can't be used on Taroko, Puyuma, EMU3000 and other designated trains, and on reserved-seat trains you ride without a seat.

High Speed Rail (THSR)

• College student discount: students enrolled at a university or college in Taiwan get 50%, 25% or 12% off standard-class reserved seats on designated trains. THSR's English page calls it "Domestic College Only" and doesn't mention nationality. It can't be combined with early bird fares.
• Proof: your physical student ID with the current semester's stamp. Without a stamp, also show a current-semester certificate of enrollment, on paper or as an electronic file downloaded in advance (THSR's Chinese page). Without valid proof you pay the difference plus 50%.
• Early bird: 35%, 20% or 10% off, limited seats, until 5 days before travel.
• Booking: online or in the T Express app; foreign passengers use their passport number. The THSR Pass is only for short-term visitors, so students with an ARC can't use it.

Taxis, Uber and Bolt

Taxis use a meter. Each city or county government sets its own fare, night surcharge and Lunar New Year surcharge. Taipei, New Taipei and Keelung share one fare; Changhua matches Taichung; Tainan matches Kaohsiung.

At airports: taxis from the Taoyuan Airport rank add 15% to the meter, and Kaohsiung Airport rank taxis add NT$50. At Taipei Songshan Airport, taxis queue outside the arrivals exits; at Taichung Airport, at the international terminal B1. Both use the meter.

Uber, Bolt and app-booked cars

• Since December 2019, Uber in Taiwan works with licensed partners: diversified taxi (多元化計程車) fleets, regular taxi fleets and rental companies. Uber said in 2025 that it works in 16 cities and counties: Yilan, Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County and City, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, Chiayi County and City, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung.
• Bolt launched in Taiwan on October 1, 2025, starting with Taipei.
• Every taxi driver, including on a diversified taxi, must hold a professional driving licence and a police-issued taxi driver registration card (執業登記證), shown on the right side of the dashboard.
• Diversified taxis take booked rides only; they can't pick up on the street or wait at taxi stands. When you book, the app must show the car, the driver's registration and rating, and the estimated route and fare.

→ Inside Taipei explains taxis, Uber and Bolt in Taipei, including taxi apps and taking a taxi without speaking Chinese.

Scooters and driving

You may ride or drive only with a valid licence that Taiwan recognises. Riding a scooter without one is fined NT$18,000 to NT$36,000, and the scooter is impounded on the spot.

• International Driving Permit (IDP): an IDP from a reciprocal country (互惠國) works without registration for stays of 30 days or less. For longer stays, register it at a motor vehicles office (fee NT$150) with your ARC, passport, original foreign licence, original IDP and one photo. The registration lasts up to one year, and never past your IDP, home licence or residence permit. The Highway Bureau publishes the list of reciprocal countries.
• Exchanging your licence: with an ARC valid for more than six months, a licence from a reciprocal country can be exchanged for a Taiwan licence without a test, after a medical check and verification of the licence. The licence fee is NT$200.
• Taking the Taiwan scooter test: you must be at least 18 and, as a foreigner, have an ARC or stay permit of more than six months. Bring the registration form with a medical check and three one-inch photos. The written test plus road test costs NT$250. First-time applicants take a free two-hour safety course, and must complete the hazard perception platform before booking. The Highway Bureau publishes English question banks.
• On the road: riders and passengers must wear helmets (NT$500 fine). Scooters need compulsory liability insurance. Where the inner lane is marked no motorcycles, scooters must turn left in two stages.

→ Prepare.one has unofficial practice for the scooter licence written test, in English and Chinese.

Your city in more detail

The city guides cover local routes, cards and fares in depth:

• Taipei and New Taipei: Inside Taipei, getting around Taipei and its MRT guide
• Taoyuan Airport: Inside Taipei, getting to Taipei
• Hsinchu: Inside Hsinchu, getting around Hsinchu and Zhubei
• Taichung: Inside Taichung, getting around Taichung
• Tainan: Inside Tainan, getting around Tainan
• Kaohsiung: Inside Kaohsiung, getting around Kaohsiung
• Yilan: Inside Yilan, getting to and around Yilan
• Hualien: Inside Hualien, getting to and around Hualien

Questions

Can I use YouBike without a Taiwan phone number?

Yes, with Single Rental in the YouBike app. You link a Visa, Mastercard, JCB or UnionPay card, a NT$3,000 hold is placed on it, and you pay the normal rate without the free first 30 minutes. Full membership needs a Taiwan mobile number.

Can I ride a scooter on my International Driving Permit?

Only if it comes from a country Taiwan treats as reciprocal. For stays over 30 days you must register it at a motor vehicles office. The registration lasts up to one year and never past your IDP, home licence or residence permit.

Do international students get student train discounts?

TRA sells a TR-PASS foreign student version to foreign students enrolled at schools in Taiwan. The TRA and THSR college student discounts are defined by enrollment at a university or college in Taiwan, and their rules don't mention nationality. You must carry your own student ID.

Is there a student TPASS?

No. The Highway Bureau says anyone can buy TPASS and there is no separate half-price student version. Student cards can carry the pass.

→ Money: cards, cash and ATMs · Arrive and live

Sources (57)

Checked November 2026.Show

Metro: Taipei Metro, ticket types, Taipei Metro, frequent riders, New Taipei Metro, Sanying Line, Taoyuan Metro, tickets, Taichung MRT, ticket types, Kaohsiung Metro, tickets, Mass Rapid Transit Act. Cards: EasyCard, iPASS. Buses: Highway Bureau city bus list, Taichung city bus, Taichung citizen card, Keelung bus fares, Kinmen bus fares, Penghu bus rules, Taiwan Tourist Shuttle. YouBike: rates by area, registration, FAQ, insurance, terms. TPASS: Highway Bureau price chart, Highway Bureau FAQ, Megacity Pass, central passes, MeN Go. Trains: TRA college student rules, TR-PASS, TRA booking, TRA e-tickets, THSR college student discount (Chinese), THSR early bird, THSR Pass. Taxis: 汽車運輸業管理規則, 計程車駕駛人執業登記管理辦法, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou, Chiayi City, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Taitung, Kinmen, Kaohsiung Airport, Uber newsroom, Bolt newsroom. Licences: Road Traffic Safety Rules, Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, MVDIS, foreigners and licences, Highway Bureau, motorcycle test, licence exchange, safety course.