Taiwan operates one of Asia's most efficient public transportation networks, centered on the Taiwan High Speed Rail system that connects Taipei in the north to Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung across 345 kilometers in 96 minutes at speeds reaching 300 kilometers per hour. The line opened January 5, 2007, serving twelve stations with departures every fifteen to thirty minutes during daytime hours. Standard reserved adult fare from Taipei to Zuoying costs approximately 1,490 New Taiwan Dollars as of 2024, with unreserved seating available at slightly reduced rates. The system carried 71.16 million passengers in 2019, its highest annual ridership before pandemic adjustments. Stations connect directly to local metro systems in Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, and Kaohsiung, though the Taipei connection requires a short transfer via MRT between Taipei Main Station platforms.
The conventional Taiwan Railways Administration network predates the high speed system by over a century, with the first line completed in 1908 during Japanese colonial administration. TRA operates approximately 1,065 kilometers of track reaching destinations the HSR does not serve, including the entire east coast from Yilan through Hualien to Taitung and looping back west to Pingtung. The South-Link Line connecting Taitung to Fangliao opened in 1992, completing the island circuit that allows continuous rail travel around Taiwan's perimeter. Express Puyuma and Taroko trains cover the Taipei to Taitung route in roughly four and a half hours compared to seven hours on local services, though the Puyuma fleet was temporarily suspended after an October 21, 2018 derailment near Xinma Station that killed eighteen passengers. Journey cost from Taipei to Hualien on Taroko service runs approximately 440 New Taiwan Dollars. The railway reservation system opens tickets fourteen days before departure at 00:00 Taiwan time, with popular routes and holiday periods selling out within minutes of release.
Taipei Metro began operations March 28, 1996 with the Wenhu Line, now expanded to six lines totaling 146.2 kilometers serving 131 stations as of 2024. The system carries approximately 2.1 million passengers daily on weekdays. Single journey tokens cost between 20 and 65 New Taiwan Dollars depending on distance, while stored value EasyCards reduce per-trip costs by approximately twenty percent and function across buses, convenience store purchases, and YouBike rentals. The brown Wenhu Line uses rubber-tired automated trains running on elevated guideways rather than steel rails. All stations except one provide elevator access from street level. Final trains depart terminal stations around midnight, with first services beginning near 06:00. Platform doors align with train entrances on all lines, installed progressively after a series of suicide incidents prompted safety upgrades.
Kaohsiung Metro opened October 16, 2008 with two lines intersecting at Formosa Boulevard Station, known for its Dome of Light—a 30-meter diameter stained glass installation by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata. The system extends 42.7 kilometers with thirty-eight stations, carrying approximately 180,000 passengers daily. Single journey tokens range from twenty to fifty New Taiwan Dollars. Kaohsiung's system integrates with the Light Rail Transit network, a 22.1-kilometer semicircular route serving thirty-eight stations around the city's central and harbor districts. Light rail opened its first phase September 14, 2015, completing the circular alignment in stages through 2021. Fares cost thirty New Taiwan Dollars per trip regardless of distance. The light rail operates at street level through much of its route, sharing lanes with general traffic in some sections.
Taoyuan Airport MRT connects Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei Main Station across 51.03 kilometers with twenty-four stations, opening March 2, 2017. Direct Express trains complete the journey in thirty-six minutes making limited stops, while Commuter trains serve all stations in approximately forty-eight minutes. Express service costs 160 New Taiwan Dollars from the airport to Taipei, departing every fifteen to twenty minutes from 06:00 to 23:00. The line continues beyond the airport to Huanbei Station near the coast. In-town check-in counters at Taipei Main Station allow passengers on certain airlines to check luggage and receive boarding passes before departing for the airport, though this service suspended during pandemic restrictions and has not fully resumed as of 2024.
Bus networks operate extensively in all cities and between municipalities, though route complexity and Chinese-language signage create navigation challenges. Taipei's municipal bus system includes over 300 routes operated by multiple companies under city coordination. Fares typically range from fifteen to thirty New Taiwan Dollars for city routes, paid via EasyCard or exact cash as drivers do not provide change. Intercity buses compete directly with railways on major routes, often at lower cost but longer duration due to highway traffic. The Taipei to Taichung route costs approximately 250 to 300 New Taiwan Dollars via bus compared to 375 New Taiwan Dollars via TRA express train, with journey times around three hours versus two hours. Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport operates the largest intercity network with direct service to most cities. Bus routes serve mountain areas including Alishan, where the narrow-gauge forest railway suspended regular passenger service after typhoon damage in 2009, resuming only limited sections for tourist operations.
Domestic flights connect Taipei Songshan Airport to Kinmen, Matsu, Magong in Penghu, Taitung, Hualien, Chiayi, and Taichung. Far Eastern Air Transport, established 1957, ceased operations in December 2019 after financial difficulties, leaving Mandarin Airlines, UNI Air, and Daily Air as primary domestic carriers. Taipei to Magong flight time runs approximately fifty minutes with fares between 1,200 and 2,500 New Taiwan Dollars depending on booking timing. Flights to offshore islands serve residents and military personnel in addition to tourists, with some routes receiving government subsidies to maintain service. Green Island and Orchid Island receive flights from Taitung Airport on nineteen-seat aircraft operated by Daily Air, the only carrier serving these routes after others withdrew citing low profitability.
Ferries operate to offshore islands where air service is limited or absent. Budai Harbor in Chiayi County provides the primary departure point for Penghu, with journey times around ninety minutes to Magong Harbor. Donggang in Pingtung serves as the main port for Liuqiu Island with crossings taking twenty-five to thirty minutes at costs near 230 New Taiwan Dollars round trip. Green Island receives ferries from Taitung's Fugang Harbor in roughly fifty minutes when weather permits, though winter seas frequently cancel sailings November through March. Orchid Island ferries from both Taitung and Green Island operate less reliably due to the exposed Pacific crossing. Kinmen and Matsu maintain ferry connections to mainland Fujian Province, with the Kinmen to Xiamen route taking thirty minutes, though these services require separate documentation considerations as cross-strait travel.
Rental vehicles provide access to areas poorly served by public transit, particularly along the east coast and in mountain regions. Major international rental companies operate at airports and city locations, requiring drivers to present international driving permits alongside their home country licenses unless from countries with reciprocal recognition agreements. Taiwan requires the 1949 Geneva Convention international permit, not the 1968 Vienna Convention version, though enforcement varies by rental company. Daily rental rates for compact cars begin around 1,200 New Taiwan Dollars from local operators, approximately double that from international chains. Traffic drives on the right side, with highway speed limits set at 110 kilometers per hour and urban limits typically 50 kilometers per hour. Provincial Highway 9 along the east coast and Cross-Island Highway Provincial Highway 8 through Taroko National Park rank among the most scenic driving routes, though the latter closes sections periodically due to landslide and rockfall risk. The Su-Hua Highway section of Provincial Highway 9 between Suao and Hualien cuts cliffsides above the Pacific, notorious for tunnel narrowness and falling rock hazards particularly after rain.