EasyCard and iPass: Your Transport Foundation

Before exploring specific transport modes, understand Taiwan’s smart card system. Smart cards aren’t mere convenience items; they’re essential tools that unlock discounts, save queuing time, and work across multiple transport modes. You need to tap in and out at stations, and tap when boarding and alighting on buses, as most fares are based on travel distance. The card automatically applies transfer discounts between buses, metro lines, and bikes within a specific time period.

Two cards dominate: EasyCard（悠遊卡）and iPass（一卡通）. EasyCard has stronger coverage in northern Taiwan, whilst iPass originated in the south. However, both now work on nearly all public transport nationwide, including all metro and tram systems, most city buses, Taiwan Railways, public bicycles, and even some convenience stores and vending machines. For most travellers, either card suffices. Just buy whichever you encounter first at a metro station or convenience store. These cards won’t work on High-Speed Rail or most long-distance coaches, where you’ll need separate tickets. They also won’t work on all Taiwan Railways trains, more on that complexity below.

If you buy cards with regular design, they come with a refundable deposit (typically NT$100) plus your chosen initial value. Usually you can find this kind of cards at metro stations. Otherwise, you can buy cards with special design, suitable for decent souvenirs, but they are non-refundable and slightly more expensive usually. This kind of cards usually appear in convenience stores. To top up, you have to load cash at metro stations, convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, etc.), or dedicated machines at metro stations. It is cash-only so make sure you have cash with you.