台北→Xitou Forest: car rental is the most affordable option

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from 台北 to Xitou Forest, HSR is quick but pricey. However, from the first train at 06:26 to the last train at 21:56, there are only up to 26 HSR trains from Taipei to Changhua a day. If your schedule is tight or you might miss the last train, you should consider booking a private transfer. Assuming you depart from 台北 (Wanhua District, Taipei City) and head to the nearest Taipei HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$200 and take approximately 16 minutes. After arriving at the HSR station, the time to walk in, purchase tickets, and wait on the platform is about 25 minutes. Then, take a 64-76-minute (71 min on average) HSR ride from Taipei Station to Changhua HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$820 per person, followed by a 5-minute walk to exit the station, wait for a ride at the taxi stand, and after a trip of about 55 minutes with a fare of NT$1,300, you will arrive at your destination at Xitou Forest (Lugu Township, Nantou County). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 2 hours and 52 minutes. Assuming 5 people traveling together (and have to split into two taxis), the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,420. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$1,330, and the journey takes 3 hours and 35 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$450. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, booking with Tripool is the more cost-effective option. 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.

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 5 rental car companies, such as 晨曦租賃, 與眾不同租賃, 極緻租賃, available in the Wanhua District, Taipei 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 台北 and Xitou Forest, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$3600 or NT$6600 for a 9-seater van. This is, of course, cheaper than taking a taxi. If you plan to sightsee along the way to Xitou Forest, renting a car for the day is certainly convenient and affordable, but it means the driver will not get to relax or fully enjoy the trip. Moreover, the rental location may be some distance from 台北, 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.

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Taipei 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, such as 巨翼合作社, 台北市成功計程車, 全能交通 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$6,040 and 7,200, but you could save up to NT$2,200 by booking with Tripool instead. However, when considering the return trip, in Nantou County there are only about 340 licensed taxis. This is about 1% of the number of taxis in Taipei City, and its density is just 0.2% of the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, making it 490 times more difficult to hail a cab there. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from 台北 to Xitou Forest in terms of both price and service quality.

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.

There are many gypsy cabs or illegal taxis in Line and Facebook groups. Their fares are cheap but with many risks. If the cabs are pulled over by polices, passengers cannot continue the trip. If there is an accident, none of the insurance companies will settle a claim. Worst of all, illegal drivers may conduct crimes without any trace. Don't put your life at risk for just saving a few bucks. On the other hand, tripool contracts with legal drivers without any criminal record. All vehicles provide up to $5 million in insurance. The easiest way to distinguish a legal vehicle is the car plate number. Unless the initial character of the car plate number is either T or R, the car is 100% illegal for taxi service.

If you are looking for a private car or a taxi from 台北 to Xitou Forest, input the pick-up and drop-off locations (or addresses) on our website. You will get an actual quote in just three seconds. Follow the yellow buttons, fill up your travel information, and choose the payment methods. Once you get the order ID, you will get an SMS and a confirmation email, and your order is all set. We will provide the driver's contact and the car information one day before the ride at 8 PM. We will fulfill your reservation 100%, guaranteeing that our driver will show up. It's recommended to finish the booking one day before noon. Tripool still accepts orders by 6 PM if you have an urgent request, and the latest order can come in by four hours in advance.

Passengers can request free cancelation one day before by noon. 100% refundable for any reason. Just send us an email or fill up the cancelation form. No additional administration fee is guaranteed.

Tripool offers a point-to-point private car service in Taiwan. As long as the destination connects to a road or can be searched on Google Maps, we assure you that a car can send you there. Try inputting your home/office address or a hotel's name in the search bar, and our driver will pick you up punctually and travel to a hotel or an airport with ease.