Getting around the city and useful apps
One contactless card covers almost everything: EasyCard or iPASS, NTD 100 non-refundable, works on every city metro, all buses, regional TRA trains up to 70 km and the light rail. Top-ups are cash only. Using it beats single tokens by about 20 per cent and enables discounted metro-to-bus transfers within 60 minutes.
- Buy a smart card first; everything else follows. EasyCard and iPASS are interchangeable, cost a fixed 100 NTD, and cover the metro in four cities, all city buses, light rail and short regional trains.
- They must be topped up with banknotes at station machines or convenience-store checkouts - paying by card to load a transit card is not technically possible.
- It is roughly 20% cheaper than single tokens, with discounted metro-to-bus transfers within 60 minutes.
- Since 1 January 2026 YouBike will not release a bike anywhere in Taiwan until you activate the mandatory injury insurance in the app - one-off credit-card rentals included.
- Uber works with a foreign number and a foreign card and is the easy option with no language barrier; the local Taiwan Taxi and LINE GO apps need a Taiwanese number.
Buy a smart card first; everything else follows from it. Transit across Taiwan is fully integrated and highly digitalized, and the backbone is the contactless EasyCard (悠遊卡) or iPASS (一卡通). The two work the same way and are interchangeable.
- Where they work - the metro in Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung, all city buses, TRA regional rail on ordinary unreserved trains up to 70 km, and the light rail networks.
- Where to buy - metro station counters and vending machines, or any major convenience store (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, OK Mart).
- Cost - a fixed one-time 100 NTD for the physical card, non-refundable. A new card starts at zero balance.
- Top up with banknotes only, at station machines or convenience-store checkouts. Paying by card to top up a transit card is not technically possible.
- Why it is worth it - roughly 20% off versus single tokens on the metro, plus discounted metro-to-bus transfers within 60 minutes.
YouBike is the short-hop option, and since 2026 it needs insurance. The citywide bike-share (generation 2.0 and electric 2.0E) needs the YouBike app, a linked EasyCard/iPASS, and an active Taiwanese phone number for the verification SMS.
- Effective 1 January 2026, every user - including one-off unregistered credit-card rentals - must activate mandatory public bicycle injury insurance in the app before unlocking a bike. Without it the system will not release a bike anywhere in Taiwan.
Apps worth downloading:
- Uber - works with a foreign phone number and a foreign payment card. The first choice for talking to drivers with no language barrier.
- Taiwan Taxi (55688) - the official app of the largest national yellow-taxi fleet. Registration needs a Taiwanese phone number, but it gives the fastest pickup outside city centres and supports dozens of payment types.
- LINE GO / yoxi - local ride-hailing platforms. LINE GO is built into the LINE chat app, which most of the population already uses.
- YouBike - for finding available bikes and docks, and for activating the insurance made mandatory on 1 January 2026.
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