Overview
Taipei's public transport is anchored by the Taipei Metro, also known as the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei. It is operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation and serves the capital Taipei together with New Taipei City. It was the first rapid transit system built on the island: the initial network was approved in 1986, construction began in 1988, and the first line opened on 28 March 1996. Today the network covers 131 stations and carries over two million trips a day.
Riding it end to end as a visitor is straightforward. Trains run daily from 06:00 to around midnight, with the last trains finishing their runs by about 01:00, and services are extended for special events such as New Year festivities. Headways range from roughly 1:30 to 15 minutes depending on the line and time of day, and the system is generally quoted as running trains every 3–5 minutes. The system is designed on a spoke-hub pattern, with most lines radiating outward from central Taipei, so many journeys involve passing through or changing in the city core.
To make a trip, find your line and direction, buy a ticket or tap a smartcard at the fare gates, and board. Station announcements are recorded in Mandarin, English, Taiwanese and Hakka, with Japanese at busy stations and Korean at selected stations with high numbers of South Korean tourists. On board, Chinese announcements use the full official line names while English announcements use colour names.
The network
The metro is the backbone of the system, complemented by suburban rail, a gondola, an extensive bus network and airport rail links.
Taipei Metro (MRT)
Prior to 2014 only the physical lines had official names; services were referred to by their termini. From 2014 the naming scheme changed so that "lines" refer to services, and between 2014 and 2016 the lines were given number names based on the order in which they first opened: Brown, Red, Green, Orange and Blue became lines 1 to 5 respectively, with the planned Circular, Wanda–Shulin and Minsheng–Xizhi lines intended as lines 6 to 8. In 2016 the number names were replaced by colour names, which are what you will hear in English announcements today. The core lines include:
- Wenhu line (文湖線, Wénhú xiàn) — the Brown line, a driverless medium-capacity line. It opened on 28 March 1996 as a 10.5 km elevated route with twelve stations running from Zhongshan Junior High School to Taipei Zoo, and the Neihu segment completed the last of the six core segments on 4 July 2009. It serves Songshan Airport.
- Tamsui–Xinyi line (淡水信義線, Dànshuǐ–Xìnyì xiàn) — the Red line, the first high-capacity line, which began service on 28 March 1997 from Tamsui to Zhongshan and was extended to Taipei Main Station at the end of that year. Its Xinyi section opened on 24 November 2013.
- Songshan–Xindian line (松山新店線, Sōngshān–Xīndiàn xiàn) — the Green line, whose Songshan section opened on 15 November 2014.
- Zhonghe–Xinlu line (中和新蘆線, Zhōnghé–Xīnlú xiàn) — the Orange line, extended from Guting to Luzhou and Huilong in 2012.
- Bannan line (板南線, Bǎnnán xiàn) — the Blue line, named after the districts it connects, Banqiao and Nangang. A section between Longshan Temple and Taipei City Hall opened on 24 December 1999 as the first east–west line through the city, and the second stage of the Banqiao–Nangang section plus the Tucheng section began operation on 31 May 2006.
Planned or under-development lines named in the sources include the Circular line, the Wanda–Shulin line and the Minsheng–Xizhi line. A separate New Taipei Metro Circular Line also exists, and its fare gates accept QR Code single-journey tickets.
Maokong Gondola
The Maokong Gondola (貓空纜車, Māokōng lǎnchē) is an aerial lift/cable-car system that opened to the public on 4 July 2007, connecting the Taipei Zoo, Zhinan Temple and Maokong. Service was suspended from 1 October 2008 after erosion from mudslides under a support pillar following Typhoon Jangmi, and officially resumed on 31 March 2010 after the pillar was relocated and safety inspections were passed.
Suburban and inter-city rail
All inter-city trains, operated by the Taiwan Railway Administration (臺鐵, Táitiě) and Taiwan High Speed Rail (臺灣高鐵, Táiwān gāotiě), arrive at and depart from Taipei Railway Station on Zhongxiao West Road, Sec 1. Taipei Main Station is a vast complex: ticket counters are on the ground floor, train platforms are on B2, and there is a food court on the second floor plus several underground shopping malls. It connects directly to Taipei Metro's Taipei Main Station, served by the Tamsui (Red) and Bannan (Blue) lines.
Three other train stations serve Taipei city: Wanhua Station (萬華車站, Wànhuá chēzhàn) in the south-west, within walking distance of MRT Longshan Temple Station and served only by local trains; Songshan Station (松山車站, Sōngshān chēzhàn), close to Raohe Street Night Market, where all Taiwan Railway Administration trains stop; and Nangang Station (南港車站, Nángǎng chēzhàn) on the eastern end of the city, served by local trains and some express trains and directly connected to Nangang Station on the Bannan (Blue) line. All train stations in Taipei city accept EasyCards to enter the station, in addition to tickets bought at vending machines or counters.
Buses
The Taipei Joint Bus System includes general routes, trunk routes, MRT shuttles, mountain buses, recreational buses and small buses. Fares are based on sections (fare zones): one section is NT$15, two sections NT$30 and three sections NT$45, and most passengers need only a one-section ticket. On routes of two or more sections, an additional sectional fare is charged at the place of alighting if your trip crosses the interaction point (buffering zone). You can pay in cash (exact change required; no change is given) or with a contactless smart card swiped on board. Smart card users must swipe on both boarding and alighting, and receive a transfer discount for MRT, bus and YouBike within one hour after alighting from a bus.
Pay-on/pay-off rules are shown on an electronic sign above the driver: 上 (pay on boarding) or 下 (pay on alighting). If the sign changes from 上 to 下 mid-trip, you have crossed a zone and must pay again; drivers may issue a paper ticket when you board near a zone boundary, which you return on departure to avoid a second payment. Most bus stops have electronic signs with a next-bus countdown, and placards showing the route and timetable; real-time information is available via Taipei eBus. Bus colour indicates which subway line or lines the bus may stop at, so verify the bus number and colour before boarding, as some routes differ in each direction. Stops are announced in Chinese or shown on a digital board.
Ferries
The reference material for this guide does not describe any ferry services, so no ferry routes are covered here.
Tickets & fares
Metro fares are distance-based. One-way tickets take the form of IC tokens or ticket cards, and these are valid only on the day of purchase. Ticket vending machines are available at every MRT station. Since 18 March 2026, paper QR Code single-journey tickets have been sold at Taipei Metro stations, excluding Circular Line stations; they can also be bought through the Go!Metro Taipei app, whose in-app payment supports credit card, LINE Pay, JKO Pay, Easy Wallet and PXPay Plus. QR Code single-journey tickets are accepted at New Taipei Metro Circular Line fare gates, but Circular Line station vending machines do not yet sell them. To enter or exit, insert your token into the ticket reader slot and pass through after the beep.
Smartcards are the convenient option: the EasyCard is accepted across the metro and on Taipei city train stations, and smart card users on buses swipe on both boarding and alighting and receive a transfer discount for MRT, bus and YouBike within one hour after alighting from a bus. The Taoyuan Airport MRT also charges less if you pay by EasyCard.
On the Taipei Joint Bus System, fares are charged by section: NT$15 for one section, NT$30 for two and NT$45 for three, with most passengers needing only a one-section ticket. On the Taoyuan Airport MRT, single-journey fares range from NT$30 to NT$160. All prices here are approximate and subject to change, so check current fares before you travel.
From the airport
Taipei's primary international airport is Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), about 30 km from the city. The Taoyuan Airport MRT is the fastest option to and from the airport. Between 06:00 and 23:00, two trains run every 15 minutes in each direction, one Express and one Commuter. The Express train takes roughly 38 minutes to Taipei and the fare is NT$160 for either train type, or NT$150 if paid by EasyCard. The train terminates at Taipei Main Station, on the Red and Blue MRT lines, and there is also an underground walkway to Beimen MRT Station on the Green line. For passengers heading to Taipei, it is best to wait for the Express Train, as the Commuter Train stops at every station. From Terminal 1, the Express takes 35 minutes to Taipei Main Station while the Commuter takes 50 minutes; from Terminal 2, the Express takes 38 minutes. Single-journey fares on the line range from NT$30 to NT$160. There is free 4G Wi-Fi at all stations, and express trains have wireless charging and luggage racks. To reach the stations, from Terminal 1 take the escalator south of the B1 Food Court to A12 Airport Terminal 1 Station; from Terminal 2, follow the pathway beside the B2 Food Court to A13 Airport Terminal 2 Station.
At Taipei Main Station, some airlines (China Airlines, EVA Air and their subsidiaries) allow you to check in and check your bags ahead of time, and these are then sent to the airport on the MRT; you must do this between 6 hours and 3 hours before your flight departure time. Follow the signs for "In-Town Check-in" on the upper levels of the Taipei Main Airport MRT station. Note that the platform at Taipei Main Station is some 300 metres from the Taipei MRT platforms.
Express airport buses are a cheaper alternative, costing between NT$120 and NT$150 depending on the bus company, taking 50–70 minutes depending on traffic, with stops at both terminals. Most Taipei routes are divided into West and East, with each company operating a service every ten to fifteen minutes on each route. The western line bus terminates at Taipei Main Railway Station and also stops at Yuanshan MRT Station on the Xindian line; the Airbus company buses on the western line meander through local towns before joining the freeway and therefore take much longer than the blue and white Guoguang buses, which enter the freeway directly. Buses on the eastern route terminate at the Taipei Grand Hyatt Hotel and stop at Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT Station on the Nangang and Muzha lines. There is also a bus connecting to the domestic Songshan Airport. Ticket counters display route maps showing all stops. Some non-express buses are slightly cheaper but pass through towns such as Taoyuan (桃園), Nankan (南崁) or Kueishan (龜山) before arriving in Taipei.
When returning to the airport, express buses can be caught at various stops throughout the city. One major stop leaves every 15–20 minutes from Taipei West Bus Station adjacent to Taipei Main Railway Station (near MRT exit M5 and underground mall exits K12 and Z3). Another is at the terminal at Songshan Domestic Airport (臺北松山機場). Other stops are outside major hotels and in front of Minsheng MRT Station. For early morning flights, the earliest available buses leave at around 04:00 from the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel (臺北遠東國際大飯店) at 201 Dunhua South Rd Section 2.
You can also reach Taoyuan High Speed Rail station from the airport by taking the MRT rail line there; from there, catch a High Speed Rail train to Taipei Main Station. The bus is NT$30 and the train is NT$165, with a total journey time of roughly one hour including 5–15 minutes of waiting, 18–25 minutes on the bus and 19 minutes to Taoyuan HSR. On the way back, there are check-in counters at the station for China Airlines and EVA Air flights.
Songshan Airport (TSA), officially Taipei International Airport (臺北國際航空站), sits at the northern end of Dunhua North Road and serves a few domestic destinations plus select international routes to regional destinations, including flights to the outlying islands and east coast cities, destinations in mainland China, and "city shuttle" services to Tokyo-Haneda, Seoul-Gimpo and Shanghai-Hongqiao. It is served by the Taipei Metro Wenhu Line's (officially labelled the Wenshan-Neihu Line) Songshan Airport Station and can be reached in about 15 minutes from Taipei Main Station. Many city and long-distance buses also connect to the airport.
Etiquette & customs
- No smoking, eating or drinking: Smoking is forbidden in the entire metro system, and eating, drinking, and chewing gum and betel nuts are forbidden within the paid area. Eating is likewise prohibited in MRT stations.
- Queuing: Follow the marked lines on platforms and let passengers off before boarding.
- Rush hour: Stations can become extremely crowded during rush hours, especially at transfer stations such as Taipei Main Station, Zhongxiao Fuxing and Minquan West Road. Allow extra time and keep your belongings close.
- Escalators: The reference material for this guide does not specify an escalator standing side, so simply follow the signs and the flow of the passengers around you.
- Priority seating: The reference material does not detail priority-seating rules beyond the general quiet/priority seating conventions common on the network, so look for marked seats and give them up when they are needed.
- Buses: Watch the sign above the driver to know whether you pay on boarding (上) or on alighting (下), and swipe your smart card both on and off.
Official links
Survival terms
- 捷運 (jiéyùn) — metro / MRT
- 票 (piào) — ticket
- 線 (xiàn) — line
- 入口 (rùkǒu) — entrance
- 出口 (chūkǒu) — exit
- 轉乘 (zhuǎnchéng) — transfer
- 單程票 (dānchéng piào) — single-journey ticket
- 一日票 (yīrì piào) — day pass
Keep an EasyCard topped up and use it for the metro, buses and the airport train, since it saves you time at the gates and earns you a transfer discount within an hour of leaving a bus.