Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tentially serious risk. If you do choose to hitch you will be safer if you travel in pairs and let
someone know where you are planning to go.
At times, such as getting to or from a mountain trailhead, hitching may be your only op-
tion if you don't have a vehicle. Taiwanese are usually more than happy to give you a lift.
Money is almost never asked for.
Local Transport
Bus
Outside of Taipei and Kaohsiung, buses are the only public transport option in the big cit-
ies. Most city buses have signs in English at the front and many have LED displays inside
announcing the next stop.
You can usually find bus-schedule information at the visitor information centre in town
(often located inside the train station). In smaller towns and cities it's easier just to walk
than to bother with sporadic bus services.
FARES
Fares vary by city. For example, a single zone fare in Taipei is NT$15, while in Kaohsiung
it's NT$12. The cost of travelling in two zones is double the price of a one-zone fare.
Sometimes you pay when you get on and sometimes when you get off. If you cross a
zone, you pay when you get on and again when you get off. As a general rule, follow the
passengers ahead of you or look for the characters or on the screen to the left of the
driver. The character (up) means pay when you get on; (down) means pay when you get
off. If you make a mistake the driver will let you know.
Mass Rapid Transit
Taipei's and Kaohsiung's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) metro systems are clean, safe, con-
venient and reliable. All signs and ticket machines are in English. English signs around
stations indicate which exit to take to nearby sights. Posters indicate bus transfer routes.
Check out the stations' websites, which both feature excellent maps of areas around
each station.
Kaohsiung MRT
(
www.krtco.com.tw
; fares NT$20-60; 6am-midnight) Two lines, 37
stations, 42.7km of track. Connects with the international and domestic airports. On aver-
age trains leave every four to eight minutes.
Taipei MRT
(
www.trtc.com.tw
;
fares NT$20-65; 6am-midnight) Ten lines, 102 stations
and 112.8km of track. New lines in the works. Connects with Taipei (Songshan) Airport
and hopefully will connect with Taoyuan International Airport by 2015. On average trains
leave every three to eight minutes.
