TransportMRTGuide
Mastering Taipei Public Transport: MRT, Bus & YouBike
Navigating Taipei is easy. Mastering it requires knowing the unwritten rules of the MRT and how to hack the YouBike system.
Published on August 20, 2025
TL;DR / Quick Summary
Navigating Taipei is easy. Mastering it requires knowing the unwritten rules of the MRT and how to hack the YouBike system.
The MRT (Metro)
Clean, fast, and on time.
- No Eating/Drinking: Strictly enforced. Fine is expensive.
- The Blue Seats: Priority seats. Do not sit there unless you are elderly, pregnant, or injured. Locals will stare at you.
- Escalators: Stand on the RIGHT. Walk on the LEFT. This is sacred law.
YouBike 2.0
The yellow and white bikes.
- Registration: You need a Taiwan phone number and EasyCard. Register at the kiosk.
- Billing: First 30 mins is cheap. It scales up.
- Docking: Make sure the green light flashes when you return it. If it stays blue/red, you are still being charged.
High Speed Rail (HSR)
- Booking: Use the T-EX app. You can swipe the QR code on your phone to enter the gate. No paper ticket needed.
