Passport? Good.
ENKOFRESJA

Can I rent a public bike without a local account?

Short answer

Yes — YouBike's one-time rental is built for exactly this, but it is credit-card only and runs through the app. Your EasyCard will not open a bike unless you register as a member.

A YouBike docking station in Taipei

Two ways in, and only one is yours

The tourism administration spells out the split: membership rentals accept transit cards such as EasyCard and iPASS, or credit card and e-payment through the app — while one-time rentals accept credit card only.

That single sentence resolves the most common visitor confusion. The EasyCard you bought for the metro is a member's key, not a walk-up key. Without registering, the card taps nothing at the dock.

What the one-time route actually involves

Download the YouBike app, choose Single Rental, and link a credit card — a step that includes email verification before it activates. Then scan the QR code on the bike itself, or type the code shown on its screen.

The unlock is physical in a way people miss: once the screen says so, hold the handlebars with both hands and pull the bike backwards out of the dock. Pulling is the release; lifting is not.

Where the bikes fit a trip

YouBike covers most of Taiwan rather than one city, and a second system, Moovo, runs in areas such as Changhua and Yunlin. Fees are set by each local government rather than nationally, so check the rate card in the app for the city you are standing in.

Before riding, the operator asks you to make sure you are covered by the public bicycle injury insurance — the enrolment step in the rental flow, not an optional extra to skip past.

Good to know

  • EasyCard works for members only — one-time rental is credit card only
  • Pull the bike backwards out of the dock; do not lift it
  • Fees are set per city, so check the rate in the app where you are

Sources: Taiwan Tourism Administration — Public bicycles · YouBike — One-time rental · Updated

More in — Getting around

View all
Diagram: one card for the metro, the buses, the trains and the shops in between

Do I need to buy a ticket for every ride?

No. One EasyCard from any convenience store covers the metro, buses, trains and even the high speed rail — and pays at the shops in between.

EasyCard Corporation — Scope of use
Diagram: 0800-055-850, the tourism administration hotline that orders a taxi in English

How do you get a taxi?

Flag a yellow cab on the street — the meter does the rest. There is even an English-language hotline, 0800-055-850, that orders one for you.

Taiwan Tourism Administration — Taxi
Passengers waiting on a Taipei Metro platform

Can I eat or drink on the MRT?

No — and it is a national law, not a house rule. Eating, drinking, even chewing gum in the paid area draws a fine of NT$1,500 to 7,500.

Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC — Mass Rapid Transit Act
A Taiwan High Speed Rail train at the platform in Taipei Main Station

High speed rail or the regular train — which one am I looking at?

Two separate railways with separate tickets and separate gates. High speed rail runs twelve stations down the west coast at up to 300 km/h; the conventional railway covers everywhere else, including the east. In Taipei they share a building and nothing else.

Tourism Administration — Taiwan High Speed Rail
Dark blue priority seats in a Taipei Metro carriage

Why is nobody sitting in the dark blue seats?

They are priority seats — dark blue, next to the doors, in every single carriage, kept for elderly, pregnant and disabled passengers. Nothing forbids sitting there; the expectation is that you stand up the moment someone needs it, and the norm is strong enough that a full train will still leave them empty.

Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation — Priority seats (FAQ)

Sort the practical stuff before you fly.

eSIMs, rail passes, and airport transfers — the things worth booking before you land.

Browse essentials See all countries