Taipei’s Metro is one of the most legible rapid-transit systems in Asia — color-coded, clean, and famously strict about keeping it that way. One EasyCard taps you through the Metro, the citywide bus network, and even the cable car up into the hills, and you don’t even need the card: the Metro gates take a plain contactless bank card too.
The basics
- Taipei Metro, run by TRTC, is a six-line network: Wenhu (brown), Tamsui–Xinyi (red), Songshan–Xindian (green), Zhonghe–Xinlu (orange), Bannan (blue), and the New Taipei Metro Circular Line (yellow). TRTC also runs the Maokong Gondola, a cable car up to the hillside tea district — a separate ticket, not part of your Metro fare.
- Buses are run by dozens of private operators under the Taipei Joint Bus System, but they share one fare structure, so you never need to think about which company’s bus you’re on.
- New Taipei Metro runs two light rail lines further out: the Danhai LRT (Tamsui) and the Ankeng LRT (Xindian).
- The Airport MRT, run by Taoyuan Metro Corporation, is a separate system connecting Taipei Main Station to Taoyuan International Airport.
How to pay
- Get an EasyCard (or iPASS or icash — three competing but interchangeable stored-value cards). Buy one at any Metro station machine or convenience store, top it up the same way, and tap it at the reader to enter and exit. It works across the Metro, buses, the Danhai and Ankeng LRT, the Maokong Gondola, and YouBike bike share.
- Or tap a contactless bank card or phone wallet. Metro gates accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay, Diners Club, and Discover, plus Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay — no card to buy, no top-up. iPhone users can turn on Apple Pay Express Mode to tap through without unlocking. The one tradeoff: credit-card taps don’t qualify for the fare-rebate program described below.
- QR-code payment through major e-payment apps also works on buses and the Metro, charged at the same single-journey rate with no added fee.
- On buses, tap twice — once boarding, once getting off. The first tap charges the base one-section fare; the second adjusts it if your trip crossed into another fare section. Skipping the second tap can cost you the maximum fare.
- Cash works too — exact change on buses, or a single-journey token from any Metro station machine.
Fares
The Metro prices by distance:
| Fare | |
|---|---|
| Single-journey ticket | NT$20–65 |
| Senior (65+), disabled, or child (Taipei-registered) discount ticket | 60% off |
Buses charge by section, and most trips inside the city are just one section, for NT$15.
Tap a transfer within one hour between bus and Metro (or bus/Metro and YouBike) and you save NT$8 on an adult card. There’s a similar NT$8 discount transferring between the Metro and the Danhai or Ankeng LRT.
If you’re riding a lot in a day, the Metro sells a One-Day Pass (NT$150) and a 24-hour Taipei Metro Pass (NT$180) — both good for unlimited rides on the Metro and the New Taipei Metro Circular Line.
One nice local quirk: TRTC’s Frequent Passenger Program automatically gives cash back to stored-value or QR-code riders who pay full fare — 5% back after 11–20 rides in a calendar month, 10% after 21–40, 15% after 41 or more. It’s credited straight to the same card the next month, no enrollment needed. Credit-card taps don’t participate.
Getting from the airport
The Airport MRT runs from Taoyuan International Airport straight into the city:
- Express Train: 35 minutes from Airport Terminal 1 to Taipei Main Station (39 minutes from Terminal 2), running every 15–30 minutes between 06:00 and 23:00.
- Commuter Train: stops at every station along the way (slower — about 49 minutes to Terminal 1), but it’s the one to take if you’re headed to a station in between, and it continues on to the Taoyuan HSR station.
Buy a ticket at the station machines, or just tap the EasyCard, iPASS, or icash you’re already using around the city — the Airport MRT takes the same cards. If you’re staying a few days, a combined Airport MRT round-trip + Taipei Metro 48-hour pass (NT$520) or 72-hour pass (NT$600) covers both systems on one ticket.
Apps to download
- EasyCard — the official app for buying, topping up, and checking the balance on your card.
- Taipei Metro Go — TRTC’s own app, with real-time arrivals, transfer directions, and station facility info.
- Google Maps — reliable step-by-step routing across the Metro, buses, and rail, with live data.
When it runs
The Metro runs from about 06:00 to midnight. On the busiest line (Tamsui–Xinyi/Red), trains come about every 6 minutes at peak (07:00–09:00 and 17:00–19:30 on weekdays), 8–10 minutes off-peak, and about every 12 minutes after 23:00. There’s no overnight Metro service, so plan your last ride before midnight.
Accessibility
Every Metro station has an elevator connecting street level to the platform, wide wheelchair-accessible ticket gates and vending machines, tactile guide paths for visually-impaired passengers, and a marked wheelchair waiting area by the first door of the lead car, where the driver can assist boarding. Station information counters loan wheelchairs and offer a guiding service on request.
Etiquette & local quirks
- No eating, drinking, gum, or betel nut anywhere past the fare gates — Taiwan’s Mass Rapid Transit Act sets a fine of NT$1,500 to NT$7,500 for it, and locals will point out a violation before a guard has to.
- Riding without a valid ticket costs a penalty of 50 times the fare, on top of the fare itself.
- Tap on and off, every time — on the Metro, the bus, and the Danhai/Ankeng LRT — even if you’re not sure you need to for a short hop. The gate or reader sorts out the fare automatically.
- Queue on the marked lines at platform doors and let riders off before boarding — it’s second nature here, and stepping out of line stands out.
Good to know
- Keep the same card if you want the rebate. The Frequent Passenger Program only tracks fares on one stored-value card or QR account at a time, so switching cards mid-month resets your count.
- The Metro is genuinely one of the most heavily used systems in the world — expect real crowds at rush hour on the Red and Blue lines, but rarely delays.
- Maokong Gondola is a separate fare from the Metro: NT$180 for a single ride (NT$50 discount fare), or NT$300 for a one-day unlimited pass (NT$100 discount) — buy at the gondola station or tap your EasyCard, iPASS, or icash.