Daily ferry services available; even motorcycles can embark on self-drive tours to the mainland.

To drive to the mainland for a self-drive tour, taking a ferry is necessary. Currently, the three cross-strait ferries—Lina,海峡号 (Haixia), and 中远之星 (COSCO STAR)—operate daily sailings. They depart from Keelung, Taipei, and Taichung, heading to Pingtan in Fujian, Xiamen, and Taizhou’s Damaiyu in Zhejiang, respectively. The current round-trip transport fees are around NT$2,000 (New Taiwan Dollars, same below) for heavy motorcycles and under NT$20,000 for regular passenger cars.

The three cross-strait passenger ferries have all successively carried Taiwanese passenger vehicles to the mainland for “trial runs.” From driving onto the ferry at the dock, securing the vehicle on the deck, to disembarking and entering ports on the mainland for travel, and then reversing the process on the return trip—not only have cars been tested multiple times with success, but heavy motorcycles have also proven no issue.

In June 2015, 41 heavy motorcycles rode onto the Haixia ferry from Taipei Port, sailing to Pingtan in Fujian for a six-day tour. This marked the first time a fleet of Taiwanese heavy motorcycles took a ferry to Fujian for a self-drive tour. Just like cars, the vehicles drove onto the ship via the “ramp” connecting the dock and vessel, with staff helping secure them to the deck’s “tie-downs” to prevent swaying or tipping during the voyage.

The Haixia ferry has previously conducted trial runs transporting vehicles from Taipei Port to Pingtan Port. Depending on the vehicle type, the round-trip fare ranged from NT$2,000 to NT$16,000, covering various types including trucks, passenger cars, and large heavy motorcycles. As for future transport costs, since it has not yet become a regular service and the volume is too low, fixed prices have not been set. Industry insiders noted that once the service becomes routine and reaches a certain volume, “setting fares won’t be difficult.”

Self-drive tours are currently limited to Fujian and Zhejiang, the closest provinces to Taiwan. However, destinations including Beijing and Hainan have already reached out to the Taiwan Self-Drive Tourism Association. Since there are currently only three ports on the mainland where cross-strait ferries can dock, Taiwanese vehicles can only enter the mainland through these three ports. If more ferry routes are added in the future, it will make it more convenient for Taiwanese people to drive to the mainland for tourism. Driving from Taiwan Island to Hainan Island may soon be a reality.