Question 1

Is taking the HSR from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan to Ximen MRT Station a good idea?

Accepted Answer

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan to Ximen MRT Station, HSR is comfortable and quick but pricey and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 06:03 to the latest at 22:23, there are up to 75 high-speed rail from Tainan to Taipei each day. Assuming you depart from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan (East District, Tainan City)  and head to the nearest Tainan HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$300 and take approximately 24 minutes. After arriving at the HSR station, the time to walk in, purchase tickets, and wait on the platform is about 15 minutes. Then, take a 85-120-minute (104 min on average) HSR ride from Tainan Station to Taipei HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$1,350 per person, followed by a 15-minute walk to exit the station. Depending on the area, you may take a short walk or catch a bus (if available) to reach your final destination. The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 2 hours and 38 minutes. Assuming 4 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,430. However, in Tainan City, there are only just over 4,100 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 4.6% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 20 times more difficult than in a major city like Taipei. Even if you are lucky enough to hail a cab, a minority of taxi drivers in Tainan City may not use the meter, and might overcharge or take detours, especially with passengers who appear to be from out of town. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$1,420, and the journey takes 4 hours and 2 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$40. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, you may consider a cheaper and door-to-door private transfer option, like Tripool. If you are traveling in a group of three or less, you can also consider Tripool's carpooling service to save up to an additional 50% on transportation costs.

Question 2

Is it advisable to rent a car and drive from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan to Ximen MRT Station?

Accepted Answer

If you have a driver's license, do not mind driving yourself, and you do not need to use the travel time to rest in the car, there are about 10 rental car companies, such as 眾在福祉租賃, 府城國際租賃, 昶亨跑車, available in the Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan - East District, Tainan City area. Typically, car rentals are billed by the day. A small sedan like a Toyota Corolla or Ford Fiesta costs around NT$1500 per day, while a 9-seater van like a Hyundai Staria or Volkswagen Caravelle starts at NT$4500 per day. Extra costs such as fuel (approx. NT$3/km), eTag tolls (approx. NT$1/km), roadside parking (approx. NT$40/hour), insurance, and potential fines are not included. Most rental agreements specify a daily mileage limit of 200-400 km, with surcharges ranging from NT$100 to NT$2,000 for exceeding it. Since the vast majority of rental companies do not offer one-way rentals, assuming you make a same-day round trip between Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan and Ximen MRT Station, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$4200 or NT$7200 for a 9-seater van. This is, of course, cheaper than taking a taxi. But if you are going to Ximen MRT Station to take public transport elsewhere, renting a car for the whole day and paying for parking at the station is not cheap. Moreover, the rental location may be some distance from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan, and you must adhere to their business hours for pickup and return. The rental process itself is tedious, often taking an extra 30 minutes for contracts and vehicle inspection. You may even need to refuel the car yourself before returning. If you encounter a dishonest operator, you risk being hit with various unjustified charges upon return.

Question 3

Would it be economical to take a taxi from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan to Ximen MRT Station?

Accepted Answer

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Tainan City area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi, Uber, Line Go, Yoxi, etc., and if you cannot hail a cab on the street, you can also consider calling taxi fleets near Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan, such as 台一大車隊, 港龍大車隊, 台南計程車 Taxi中華衛星大車隊 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$6,155 and 7,400, but you could save up to NT$1,700 by booking with Tripool instead. But if you cannot book in advance or prefer to hail a cab on the spot, be aware that in the whole Tainan City, there are only about 4,140 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 4.6% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 20 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. Furthermore, some taxi drivers in Tainan City flat-out refuse to use the meter. Nearly 17% of them will try to negotiate the fare on the spot—often asking far above the standard rate. If you’re not familiar with local pricing, you are an easy target. To avoid getting ripped off, it is strongly advised to book online in advance. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan to Ximen MRT Station in terms of both price and service quality.

Question 4

Why does tripool charge cheaper than other taxis?

Accepted Answer

For regular long-distance travelers, they find Tripool's price may be too low to be good. On the contrary, Tripool has a high standard for selecting drivers and vehicles. Besides dropping drivers who are low rated, we also send mystery shoppers regularly to test drivers' service. Tripool's drivers are not allowed to smoke in the cars, and they have to wear masks all the time during the pandemic. We don't compromise our service for a low cost. Tripool can provide excellent service with 70~80% of the market price because of AI algorithms. We use these to dispatch vehicles to increase efficiency. Tripool can use fewer drivers to serve more travelers, especially in high seasons like Chinese New Year, Christmas, and summer vacation. Fewer drivers mean better quality control. The price on tripool's website and app are dynamic. Generally, the earlier a ride is booked, the lower price it is. Most of all, all booking are 100% refundable as long as the cancelation request is made one day before noon, no matter what the reason is. If you are preparing to go from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan to Ximen MRT Station, it's better to reserve it now to secure the best price.

Question 5

Will tripool provide a receipt for my booking? Can I use it for employee expense reimbursement?

Accepted Answer

Tripool will send a receipt through the third-party system one week after the ride. If passengers need to claim reimbursement for travel expenses, there is a blank to fill with the company's title and tax ID. It's legal, and there is no extra 5% for the receipt. Once the receipt is received via email, it can be printed out for reimbursement or saved as a PDF.

Question 6

Which is the best taxi app in Taiwan? Uber? Grab? Didi? Bolt? Lyft?

Accepted Answer

Among these options, Uber is the only one with broad and reliable coverage in Taiwan, available in major cities such as Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. Grab does not operate in Taiwan. Didi previously entered the market but has since exited. Bolt has just launched in Taiwan and is currently limited to Taipei. Lyft is not available in Taiwan. If you are choosing among these five, Uber is by far the most practical and widely used option in Taiwan. However, for longer intercity transfers, airport rides, or day trips, tripool is often a better choice—offering transparent pricing, professional drivers, and coverage across Taiwan.

Question 7

How can I make sure the driver will pick me up? What if the driver doesn't show up?

Accepted Answer

Once the booking process is completed and getting an order ID, the reservation is confirmed. Tripool promises a private car will pick passengers up on time. All the essential information, such as the driver's name, mobile number, car model, and car plate number, will be sent via SMS and email. If the driver is not at the pick-up location, passengers can contact the driver via mobile phone. The driver may be away due to a lack of parking space and waiting nearby. Suppose there is some serious emergency or traffic jam to delay the trip. In that case, tripool will rearrange a driver to reduce passengers' waiting time.

Question 8

How to book a hotel at the lowest price in Taiwan?

Accepted Answer

Fewer travelers book hotels through traditional travel agents, and most go through OTAs (online travel agents). It is easy to filter areas, prices, types of rooms, special needs on OTAs' websites. Still, customers can also get a 20~40% discount compared to hotels' official websites. The most popular OTAs in Taiwan are Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia.com, and Trip.com. In general, travelers can make reservations on websites or apps. Once finishing the online payment, everything is set, and there is not necessary to double-check the reservation by phone. However, some hotels may oversell their rooms on multiple platforms. To avoid being rejected by hotels once you arrive, choose high-rated hotels with more reviews online or make a phone call to hotels to confirm again. For B&Bs (also called minsus), locals prefer to book rooms through B&Bs' websites or contact the hosts directly. Sometimes, the price is better than OTAs. The downside is that their websites don't accept foreign credit cards or guests have to do wire transfers. If you want to save all these troubles and find decent B&Bs, Airbnb and AsiaYo (a local brand) are the best alternatives.

項目	tripool 旅步	高鐵	租車	計程車
行程時間	240 mins	-	270-300 mins	255-270 mins
每人價格	NT$1,420/person	NT$1,430/person	NT$1,050/person	NT$1,540-1,850/person
優點	1–8 passengers Truly pickup anywhere Ride guaranteed No hidden fees	Comfortable seating No time wasted	Low-cost Flexible schedule	Meets urgent needs No upfront payment
缺點	Pre-booking only No cash	Tickets often sold out in peak season Multiple transfers needed Higher fare	Extra commute to car pick-up Time restrictions for pick-up and return Additional risk involved Requires same-day return or a multi-day rental	Inconsistent quality Difficult to find a ride Higher price Risk of overcharging

Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan→Ximen MRT Station

Safe, reliable, and always on time

關於 tripool 旅步

我們的服務車款

五人座

七人座

九人座

合作夥伴＆企業用戶

Ximen MRT Station 接送常見問題

除了 Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan 到 Ximen MRT Station，還有⋯

立即下載 tripool App

到府接送直達服務

立即下載 tripool App

更多從 Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan 附近出發的路線

除了 Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan 到 Ximen MRT Station，還有⋯

Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan→Ximen MRT Station

Safe, reliable, and always on time

關於 tripool 旅步

我們的服務車款

五人座

七人座

九人座

合作夥伴＆企業用戶

Ximen MRT Station 接送常見問題

除了 Shangri-La&#39;s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan 到 Ximen MRT Station，還有⋯

立即下載 tripool App

到府接送直達服務

立即下載 tripool App

更多從 Shangri-La&#39;s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan 附近出發的路線

除了 Shangri-La&#39;s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan 到 Ximen MRT Station，還有⋯

除了 Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan 到 Ximen MRT Station，還有⋯

更多從 Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan 附近出發的路線

除了 Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan 到 Ximen MRT Station，還有⋯