Hsinchu County→Wuling Farm

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Hsinchu County to Wuling Farm, HSR is quick but pricey and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 07:02 to the latest at 23:32, there are up to 61 high-speed rail from Hsinchu to Taichung each day. Assuming you depart from Zhubei City, Hsinchu County, you may walk or take a bus—if available—to Hsinchu HSR station. Including walking to the platform, buying a ticket, and waiting for the train, it takes at least 15 minutes. Then, take a 24-32-minute (27 min on average) HSR ride from Hsinchu Station to Taichung HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$410 per person, followed by a 10-minute walk to exit the station, wait for a ride at the taxi stand, and after a trip of about 70 minutes with a fare of NT$1,800, you will arrive at your destination at Wuling Farm (Heping District, Taichung City). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 2 hours and 2 minutes. Assuming 3 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,010. However, in Hsinchu County, there are only just over 700 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 1.3% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 80 times more difficult than in a major city like Taipei. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$940, and the journey takes 2 hours and 27 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$210. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, booking with Tripool is the more cost-effective option. If you are traveling with just one other person, 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 Hsinchu 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 Hsinchu County (Zhubei City) to Wuling Farm is between NT$1950 and NT$2550 (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 Hsinchu County 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 銓順交通, 竹北-Ap車隊, 第一計程車 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$3,370 and 4,000, but you could save up to NT$1,200 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 Hsinchu County, there are only about 730 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 1.3% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 80 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. A word of caution regarding transportation: In a remote area like Wuling Farm, taxis do not patrol for passengers. They are generally stationed at specific locations or operate on a dispatch-only basis. This means you will need to book one through a mobile app or by calling a taxi company, and should be prepared for a potentially long wait for it to arrive. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Hsinchu County to Wuling Farm in terms of both price and service quality.

According to the law in Taiwan, all passengers have to fasten seat belts, no matter what ages they are. For a baby below 4-year-old or a young child who cannot comfortably be on the seat with a seat belt, it is necessary to use a car seat or a safety booster. There is a check box for renting a baby car seat or a child safety booster on the check-out page. Each rental fee is NT$300. If you need multiple car seats/boosters or you need an infant car seat, please check with our online customer service first. Tripool encourages parents to bring their car seats and boosters, and, of course, it is free of charge.

Passengers can request additional stops for a ride from Hsinchu County to Wuling Farm. 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.

Some drivers in Line and Facebook groups claim that they can offer private transportation services with a group of more than 8 in a single van, but their services are illegal. According to Taiwan traffic laws, a van can only accommodate nine people maximum, including a driver. Excluding a driver, the maximum number of passengers is 8. If your group is 9 or more and you prefer to travel together in one vehicle, a bus is the only legal option. Some 9-seater van drivers modify their cars and add one or two extra chairs. If these modified vans are detected by the polices on the street, your trip will be terminated immediately. Worst of all, there are additional risks for accidents. And insurance is definitely not covering it. Don't risk your family's and friends' life for a lower price. If your group is no more than 10, we recommend hiring a 9-seater van and a 5-seater sedan. It is cheaper than booking a bus on most occasions. But if your group is more than 12, hiring a bus may be ideal. However, there are few exceptions, such as traveling to mountain areas or narrow lanes. It is better to consult our online service before booking.

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.

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.