Getting around
Getting Around Taiwan: The Network Behind the Island
Taiwan's transport network splits cleanly into two systems with different reach: high-speed rail connecting the west coast's major cities in a straight fast line, and a slower conventional network covering everywhere else, including the entire east coast. Knowing which system a given destination needs avoids assuming the fast option exists everywhere it doesn't.
Updated 2026-08-15
THSR: the west-coast spine
Taiwan High Speed Rail runs a single line down the west coast from Taipei to Kaohsiung, connecting Taichung and Tainan along the way, covering the roughly 350-kilometre journey in around 90 minutes at speeds up to 300 km/h. It's genuinely the fastest way to move between Taiwan's biggest west-coast cities, frequent enough (services roughly every 15-20 minutes at peak times) that it functions closer to a commuter service than a booked-in-advance intercity train for most of the day, though booking ahead secures better fares and guarantees a seat during holiday travel periods.
TRA: the network that actually reaches everywhere
The Taiwan Railway Administration's conventional network is older, slower and far more extensive than THSR — it serves the same west-coast cities at ground level plus, critically, the entire east coast, which THSR doesn't reach at all. That's a physical routing decision rather than an oversight: THSR's straight, high-speed alignment works because the west coast has a genuine coastal plain to build through, while the east coast's mountains-into-ocean geography leaves no comparable corridor for a high-speed line. TRA's Puyuma and Taroko express services are the fastest option along the east coast, but even these run well below THSR speeds on a genuinely different kind of track.
The EasyCard: how far one card actually reaches
The EasyCard (and its iPass equivalent) works far beyond Taipei's own MRT — it's valid on TRA trains, city metro systems in Kaohsiung and Taichung, buses nationwide, and at convenience stores across the island, making a single card genuinely sufficient for most transport needs outside THSR itself (which requires a separate ticket or a specific EasyCard-linked booking). Buying one at any MRT station or convenience store, with a small refundable deposit plus stored value, is worth doing on arrival regardless of which cities a trip covers.
Scooters and the IDP requirement, explained properly
Renting a scooter in Taiwan requires an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic alongside a valid home licence — Taiwan recognises IDPs from Geneva Convention signatory countries specifically, which is why a permit from a non-signatory country's licensing authority won't necessarily be accepted even if it looks similar. Rental shops check both documents at pickup and require a passport; a scooter genuinely opens up areas like the east coast's Highway 11 and rural stretches of the interior that public transport reaches less conveniently, but dense city traffic (particularly in Taipei and Kaohsiung) demands real confidence before attempting it as a first-time rider.