Changhua→Budai Harbor

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Changhua to Budai Harbor, HSR is expensive, slow, involves transfer hassles, and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 06:25 to the latest at 23:07, there are up to 60 high-speed rail from Taichung to Chiayi each day. Assuming you depart from Changhua City, Changhua County and head to the nearest Taichung HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$300 and take approximately 25 minutes. After arriving at the HSR station, the time to walk in, purchase tickets, and wait on the platform is about 20 minutes. Then, take a 22-37-minute (29 min on average) HSR ride from Taichung Station to Chiayi HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$380 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 37 minutes with a fare of NT$700, you will arrive at your destination at Budai Harbor (Budai Township, Chiayi County). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 1 hour and 55 minutes. Assuming 4 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$630. However, in Changhua County, there are only just over 1,600 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 3.7% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 30 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 Changhua County 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$540, and the journey takes 1 hour and 34 minutes. Choosing the HSR over a private charter will not only cost each person at least an extra NT$90 in fares but also waste an additional 21 minutes on transfers and waiting. Book with Tripool now! 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 Taiwanese driver's license, are confident in your driving skills, and you do not need to rest in the car (since you will be the one driving), and most importantly, if you plan to make a same-day round trip, then iRent, which allows you to pick up and drop off a car on the street in the Changhua County area, is likely your cheapest option. After registering on the iRent app, you can rent a small car for NT$115-205 per hour with an additional charge of NT$3.2 per kilometer. The estimated cost from Changhua (Changhua City) to Budai Harbor is between NT$1600 and NT$2150 (the price difference depends on weekday/weekend rates, car model, and how soon you make the return trip after reaching your destination). Although the estimate already includes potential eTag tolls and a roadside parking fee of NT$40 per hour, you are responsible for any additional car insurance and potential traffic fines. Furthermore, iRent by Hotai only offers basic models like the Toyota Yaris, Prius C, and Vios—functional, yes, but far from the comfort you'd expect for anything beyond a grocery run. If your group has more than four people, larger 7-seater or 9-seater vehicles are not available. Moreover, the most common complaint about self-service car-sharing services is the vehicle's condition; you might open the door to find trash left by the previous user or unrepaired dents. Every rental feels like opening a blind box—sometimes fine, sometimes frustrating. Additionally, you might occasionally face issues like the previous user not returning the car on time for your reservation, or being unable to find a parking spot when you need to return it. This poses a significant risk for those in a hurry or traveling with other passengers. Finally, while picking up and dropping off the car on the street seems convenient, it is restricted to specific operational zones. The available parking spots may still be some distance away from your actual departure or arrival point, making it very inconvenient in rainy weather or when carrying luggage.

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Changhua County area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi, Uber, and Yoxi, and if you cannot hail a cab on the street, you can also consider calling taxi fleets, such as 雅客計程車, 彰化師大計程車, 大佛交通 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$2,150 and 2,600, which is not significantly different from Tripool. By comparison, Tripool offers a fixed, transparent fare that will not change due to traffic or detours. But if you cannot book in advance or prefer to hail a cab on the spot, be aware that in the whole Changhua County, there are only about 1,640 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 3.7% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 30 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. If you plan to make a return trip on the same or next day, be aware that taxis are even harder to find in Budai Harbor (in the Chiayi County area), as Chiayi County has only about 325 taxis. It is recommended to plan ahead. Furthermore, some taxi drivers in Changhua County flat-out refuse to use the meter. Nearly 25% 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 Changhua to Budai Harbor in terms of both price and service quality.

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.

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.

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.

Passengers can request additional stops for a ride from Changhua to Budai Harbor. Every 5 km of additional distance for a stop charges NT$200, whether it is along the way or not. It's necessary for the driver's extra time.

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.