Due to work, I often visit Taichung. Overall, I find this place quite nice (for instance, the city isn’t as crowded as Taipei, but I won’t elaborate on that). The only thing that really gives me a headache is the transportation!!
As Taichung has only recently begun moving toward internationalization, most of its infrastructure—like the metro—is still under construction, so the transportation system isn’t as convenient as in major cities like Taipei or Kaohsiung. If you’re not familiar with the area, your only option is usually a taxi. But for this very reason, some unscrupulous drivers overcharge, and this issue is even worse at the airport. There were several times I almost lost my temper with the driver!! A route that should have cost NT$600 ended up costing nearly NT$800!! (including detours). However, every cloud has a silver lining. To tackle the high transportation costs, on my recent trips to Taichung, I’ve started researching the local transport network in advance to see if there are any alternatives to taxis. In the end, I discovered that public transportation in Taichung isn’t as bad as I thought. With the right approach, getting around without a taxi is definitely doable. Here are some of my personal tips:
1. First 10 kilometers on buses are free
This is honestly my favorite thing about Taichung!! When you use an EasyCard to ride the bus in Taichung, the first 10 kilometers are completely free!! Don’t underestimate those 10 kilometers—they can take you to most places. So, if you do a little research online beforehand to figure out where you want to go and which bus to take, you can absolutely explore Taichung without spending a single cent on transport. Back when I used to fly to Taichung, I went for months without paying anything for rides. So next time you visit Taichung, remember to use an EasyCard!!
Also, for your convenience, here are some of the more commonly used bus routes:
Taichung Railway Station – Taichung Airport: Route 302
Taichung HSR Station – Taichung Airport: Route 156
Taichung Railway Station – Green Park Boulevard Qianmei Eslite (Taichung’s flagship Eslite store): Take Route 81 toward Tunghsin Transfer Station, or Route 27 toward Lingdong University of Science and Technology; get off at Caowu Boulevard (Citizen Square) Station.
Taichung Railway Station – 921 Earthquake Museum: Route 50
Taichung Railway Station – National Museum of Natural Science: Any of Routes 300–308; get off at the Museum of Science Station.
Taichung Railway Station – National Taichung Museum of Fine Arts: Take Route 75 toward Veterans General Hospital; get off at the Museum of Fine Arts Station.
Taichung Railway Station – Taichung Art District: Take Route 324 toward Taichung Metropolitan Park; get off at International Art Street Station.
Taichung Railway Station – Fengjia Night Market: Take Route 25 or 35 toward Overseas Chinese University; get off at Fengchia University (Fuxing Road).
Taichung Railway Station – Rainbow Village: Take Route 40 to Zhongtai New Village; get off at Lingdong University of Science and Technology.
2. Taxi Fare Calculator
But if you really need to take a taxi, I also recommend using a website to calculate the fare:
It’s very simple to use—just enter the distance between two locations and the waiting time, and it will calculate the taxi fare for you.
For example, from Taichung Airport to Taichung Park:
1) First, check the distance between the two places on Google Maps, which is about 17.1 kilometers.
2) Enter the distance and waiting time on the website.
3) The program will then calculate the approximate fare for different cities. For Taichung, it comes out to around NT$420.
This way, you can know your transportation expenses more accurately and avoid being overcharged. :P
Website: http://taxi.0123456789.tw/
3. Flat Rate – A Special Tip for Taking Taxis
Apart from calculating the distance and fare in advance, if your destination is farther away, you can also ask the driver for a flat-rate service. What I do is agree on a flat rate of NT$500 per hour. While I go sightseeing, I ask the driver to wait for me at the same spot, and after visiting one attraction, we head to the next, and so on. At the end of the trip, we settle the total number of hours hired for the day. This ends up being more cost-effective.
4. Make Good Use of the Taiwan Railways Network
Ever since the high-speed rail opened, the importance of Taiwan Railways seems to have been completely overshadowed, but TR actually has its own advantages. First, the high-speed rail mainly serves passengers traveling long distances between densely populated areas, with stations located in busy districts and relatively few stops in between. If your destination is in a more remote suburban area, taking the regular train might actually get you there faster than the high-speed rail. Second, because the regular trains are slower, their fares are also relatively cheaper. For example, the fare from Taichung to Taipei is NT$765 on the high-speed rail, while on the Taiwan Railways’ Tze-Chiang Limited Express (fast train), it’s only NT$375. If you take the Chu-Kuang Express (slow train), it’s just NT$289—almost half or even a third of the price!! (But note: the high-speed rail takes just 1 hour, the Tze-Chiang takes a little over 2 hours, and the Chu-Kuang takes about 3 hours!)
▲Interior of a Taiwan Railways local train carriage
For example, last week, I traveled from Taichung Airport to Chiayi. In the past, I usually took a taxi to transfer to the high-speed rail, but this time I chose to go to the nearby Qingshui Train Station near the airport and then take the Taiwan Railways to Chiayi. Below are the time and cost for both options:
Taking the high-speed rail
1) Take a taxi to Taichung HSR Station — Fare: about NT$600; Time: about 30 minutes
2) Take the high-speed rail to Chiayi HSR Station — Fare: NT$380; Time: about 30 minutes
Total fare: NT$980; Total time: about 1 hour
Taking the Taiwan Railways
1) Take Bus No. 9 to Qingshui Train Station — Fare: NT$0*; Time: about 40 minutes
2) Take the train to Chiayi — Fare: NT$185; Time: about 1 hour 45 minutes
Total fare: NT$185; Total time: about 2 hours 25 minutes
In the end, although I spent twice as much time, I also saved five times the cost.
So if you’re not in a hurry next time, try taking the Taiwan Railways. You might get some unexpected benefits!
*Holding an EasyCard allows you to ride the first 8 km of Taichung buses for free. For details, see point 1.
5. Transportation from the Airport to Downtown
As mentioned earlier, when Taichung Airport was still a regional airport without jet bridges, taxis were the only means of transport people could rely on, so some drivers took advantage of passengers, overcharging them ruthlessly. However, the Taichung government seems to have recognized this issue, and since the opening of the new passenger terminal, several new bus routes have been added to connect various districts. Among them, some are direct routes to the city center, similar to Hong Kong’s “A” routes, including Bus No. 302 from Taichung Park to the Airport (via Taichung Railway Station), and Bus No. 156 from Taichung HSR Station to the Airport.
Detailed bus transfer information: http://www.tca.gov.tw/web_page/TCF060200.aspx
▲ The “New Express Bus” that directly connects downtown and the airport (Photo / Taiwan Apple Daily)
6. Buses to Taipei and Other Regions (Long-Distance Coaches)
Besides the high-speed rail and Taiwan Railways, long-distance buses are also a good option. Although they are not as fast as trains, their advantage is point-to-point service, avoiding the inconvenience of intermediate stops on the railway. Moreover, most coach seats in Taiwan are now very comfortable — all are massage chair-style sofas, and you can fall asleep in less than ten minutes after sitting down. In addition, some popular routes (such as Taipei–Taichung) operate 24 hours a day, which is another advantage over the railway. As for price, taking Taichung to Taipei as an example, Uni-President Transportation charges NT$260 (high-speed rail NT$765, Taiwan Railways Taroko Express NT$375), which often turns out to be more economical than taking the train!
Websites of some bus companies:
Ho-Hsin Bus: http://www.ebus.com.tw/
Uni-President Transportation: www.ubus.com.tw/
▲ Exterior of a long-distance bus (Photo / From the website: http://blog.xuite.net/et142065/YANG/29796986)
▲ Interior of the bus (Photo / From the website: http://blog.irving.tw/blog.aspx?Num=3262)
That’s all for my sharing of Taichung transportation experiences. I hope it helps you plan your future trips to Taichung. :)
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