Question 1

Is taking the HSR from Maison De Chine Hotel to TRA Hualien Station a good idea?

Accepted Answer

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Maison De Chine Hotel to TRA Hualien Station, HSR is quick but pricey. From the earliest departure at 06:21 to the latest at 22:02, there are up to 57 high-speed rail from Chiayi to Nangang each day. Assuming you depart from Maison De Chine Hotel (West District, Chiayi City)  and head to the nearest Chiayi HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$400 and take approximately 23 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 78-112-minute (100 min on average) HSR ride from Chiayi Station to Nangang HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$1,120 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 224 minutes with a fare of NT$5,200, you will arrive at your destination at TRA Hualien Station (Hualien City, Hualien County). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 6 hours and 12 minutes. Assuming 3 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$2,990. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$2,860, and the journey takes 6 hours and 50 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster than a car by 38 minutes, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$390. 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.

Question 2

Is it advisable to rent a car and drive from Maison De Chine Hotel to TRA Hualien 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 5 rental car companies, such as 翔春租賃, 蘋果國際租賃, 阿里山國際通運, available in the Maison De Chine Hotel - West District, Chiayi 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 Maison De Chine Hotel and TRA Hualien Station, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$5200 or NT$8200 for a 9-seater van. This is, of course, cheaper than taking a taxi. But if you are going to TRA Hualien 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 Maison De Chine Hotel, 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 Maison De Chine Hotel to TRA Hualien Station?

Accepted Answer

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Chiayi City area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi, and if you cannot hail a cab on the street, you can also consider calling taxi fleets near Maison De Chine Hotel, such as 大嘉義計程車, 華麗計程車, 嘉義博愛無線計程車 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$8,335 and 10,000, but you could save up to NT$1,400 by booking with Tripool instead. However, when considering the return trip, in Hualien County there are only about 1,010 licensed taxis. Its taxi density is just 0.5% of the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, making it 190 times more difficult to hail a cab there. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Maison De Chine Hotel to TRA Hualien Station in terms of both price and service quality.

Question 4

Does tripool provide charter tour services? Is there a price list that I can check first?

Accepted Answer

Tripool provides private day tours and charter services all around the island, including TRA Hualien Station and Maison De Chine Hotel. Tourists are welcome to choose from point-to-point transportation service to 2~12 hours private trip service. The price is 100% transparent without any hidden fee. What you see on the website/app is the actual price. There is no need to email us or even make a phone call to verify. The full-day service price may not be lower than other providers. But if you only need a few hours or just a one-way transfer service, we can guarantee that our price is the most competitive in the market and tripool is the best choice. We offer 5-seater sedans, SUVs, and 9-seater vans. If your group is more than 9, we can arrange a bigger bus for you.

Question 5

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 6

Do tripool and the drivers provide legal car-hiring services in Chiayi City and Hualien County?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 7

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 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.

Item	tripool	HSR	Car Rental	Taxi
Travel Time	410 mins	370 mins	440-470 mins	415-425 mins
Price per Person	NT$2,860/person	NT$2,990/person	NT$1,730/person	NT$2,780-3,330/person
Pros	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
Cons	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 Usually limited to 4 passengers

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