Youbike

Getting around in Taipei is really easy. One can use the extensive subway system, the MRT, or take one of the buses that go all around town to reach his/her destination. 

For those who want to combine their commute with a bit of an exercise, there is another option: The Youbike, a bike-sharing service provided by the city of Taipei. 

Source: youbike.com.tw

Most key locations in the Taipei city center has Youbike stations that provide a cheap, healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transportation.

Getting a bike from a Youbike station is easy and fast. The only thing you need to do is to register your Yo Yo Ka (Taipei mass transit card that works on the MRT, public buses and the Maokong Gondola) at a digital kiosk next to one of the stations. You need to have a mobile phone number in order to register your Yo Yo Ka, so make sure you take care of that first. 

After your card is registered, wave your card on the scanner next to the bike you want to rent and pull the bike away. Once you are done, you put the bike back into the designated slot and re-scan your card. A certain amount of credits will be deduced from your Yo Yo Ka. 

A Youbike mount without the bikes. Scanner is in the middle. Source: youbike.com.tw

The first half hour of Youbike is free. But you cannot pick up another bike from the station you just left your bike for 15 minutes. That is done to prevent free-riding, literally. 

Youbike is really cheap. Renting a bike for an hour costs 10 NT, which is around 30 US cents. You can click here to see my post on Taiwanese money conversion guide. 

Youbike bicycles are manufactured by Giant, a Taiwanese company which also the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. You bikes come with large baskets on the front and 3 gears to tackle slight slopes you may encounter. They are quite durable and easy to ride, although a little heavy. 

You can check Youbike’s site here to see the exact locations of rental stations.

The best part about Youbike is that you can ride literally anywhere in Taipei. The city is relatively flat, which makes it ideal for biking. Most sidewalks in the city center have bike lanes that provide a safe route for bikers to travel on. And even if you end up in parts of the city where there are no bike lanes on sidewalks, you can easily blend in with the flow of the vehicle traffic on the roads. Having cyclists in traffic is quite natural in Taiwan and drivers are quite careful when it comes to allowing a certain space to bikers. 

As a bonus, Taipei has an extensive network of interconnected riverside bike paths that go on for many kilometers. One can start at the very southern end of Taipei in Xindian and bike all the way up to Danshui in the north, where the river meets the sea.

I hope you find this post helpful. Make sure you make the most of Youbike during your stay in Taipei, it’s fun!

-DS

Taking the subway in Taipei

Residents of Taipei are proud of their subway system, and truly so. The city boasts one of the most extensive and comfortable underground transportation systems in Southeast Asia, known as the MRT. 

Taking the subway might seem a little confusing at first, but it’s really convenient once you get the hang of it. 

Payment

There are two different methods of payment to access the MRT. You can either purchase a one-time token from an automated machine or you can buy a mass transit card called Yo Yo Ka, which you can add credit to. More on that in a minute.

Buying a token

In order to buy a token, first you need to know which station you are traveling to. Subway fees are determined on the distance traveled, and you should have the adequate amount of credits on your token to be able to exit the metro once you arrive at your destination.

All subway stations have the above chart, showing the cost of travel for each and every other station based on your current location. The fees increase as the distance increases. 

Take a look at this chart and figure out how much you will need to pay. Say, your trip costs 25 NT. You need to go to the token dispensing machine and choose the token icon on the touch screen. You can touch the button that reads ‘English’ on the next screen to listen to instructions in English. Deposit the correct amount of coins and the machine will spit out a token. 

Do not try to insert the token at the turnstiles as you are entering the station. Place it on the scanning area and the turnstiles will open. Keep your token with you and deposit it at the turnstiles as you exit at your destination. 

Yo Yo Ka

A more convenient way of payment would be having a Yo Yo Ka. You can purchase a Yo Yo Ka from one of the kiosks at any MRT station and use the automated machines later to add credit to your card.

It is the same machine you would use to purchase a token. Place you Yo Yo Ka on the indicated field and the machine will ask you to deposit either coins or bills. Once you do so, hot the ‘Confirm’ button to finish your transaction. It’s that easy. 

You need to pay a minimum of 100 NT when purchasing the Yo Yo Ka. It is very practical method of payment and can also be used on public buses, Youbike rentals and when boarding the Maokong Gondola. Yo Yo Ka can also be used to make payments at 7-11 convenience stores, just as you would pay with a debit card. 

How to get from Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei city center?

You made it! You have just arrived in Taoyuan International Airport  to start your grand adventure in Taiwan. One problem though, you need to get to the city center first.

There are several transportation options you can choose from in order to go to Taipei from Taoyuan International Airport. You can take the bus, hail a cab, rent a car or arrange for a limo company to pick you up. 

Take the bus

If you are arriving at Terminal 1, you need to go to pickup zone B1 in the arrivals section. Zones are clearly marked by sign posts so don’t worry about finding them. 

Once there, you need to get on the bus numbered 1819. This will take you straight to Taipei Main Station in city center. The bus fare is 125 New Taiwan Dollars (4 USD) and the trip takes around 1 hour. 

You can buy tickets at bus counters in the terminal. For that, you will need to buy some local currency at one of the exchange offices in the terminal first. 

If you are arriving at Terminal 2, you can take the bus at bus pickup zone at the northeast arcade of the 1st floor arrivals lobby.


Hail a cab

You can hail a taxi once you exit the terminal, don’t fret about finding one, the cab drivers come to you asking if you need a ride when they see you come out of the arrivals building. 

Taiwanese taxi drivers are quite trustworthy, they would not drive you around the city for a few extra bucks. The trip from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei city center costs about 1200 New Taiwan Dollars (40 USD approx.).

Important notice: If you don't speak Chinese, make sure you have the address of the place you are going to written/printed on a piece of paper in Chinese characters, so you can show it to the driver. 

Most drivers do not speak English and they cannot read Latin characters, so pinyin is out of the question. Make sure you will be able to communicate with them. 


(Don't) Rent a car

Car rental offices are located on the entrance floors (entrance floor is called 1st floor in Taiwan) of both terminals. I do not recommend renting a car as traffic is somewhat chaotic in Taipei and all traffic signs are printed in Chinese characters. So newcomers should steer clear from driving until they are accustomed to the layout of the city and the flow of traffic, in my opinion. 


Arrange for a chauffeur

Lastly, you can arrange for a driver to come pick you up at the airport. Limo companies offer a variety of cars to choose from and prices vary accordingly. As of November 2014, prices start at 1300 New Taiwan Dollars (42 USD). 

Easy Rent is one of the companies that provide limo services. You can find their rates here.


Not going to Taipei?

If you are going to a city other than Taipei, you can take a shuttle bus to the nearest high-speed railway station and catch a train there. You will need to go to UBUS service counters at arrival terminals. The fare is 30 New Taiwan Dollars (90 US cents).


I hope you find this post helpful, if you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments section or send me an e-mail at everythingtaiwan@gmail.com 

Enjoy you trip!

-DS