Taitung Forest Park→New Taipei

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Taitung Forest Park to New Taipei, HSR is quick but pricey and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 06:15 to the latest at 22:10, there are up to 77 high-speed rail from Zuoying to Banqiao each day. Assuming you depart from Taitung Forest Park (Taitung City, Taitung County) and head to the nearest Zuoying HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$5,900 and take approximately 234 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 85-126-minute (105 min on average) HSR ride from Zuoying Station to Banqiao HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$1,460 per person, followed by a 10-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 6 hours and 9 minutes. Assuming 3 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$3,430. However, in Taitung County, there are only just over 400 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 0.2% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 400 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 Taitung 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$3,220, and the journey takes 7 hours and 41 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$630. 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 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 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 標竿小客車租賃, 台東小哥租賃, 捷陞小客車租賃, available in the Taitung City, Taitung County 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 Taitung Forest Park and New Taipei, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$6000 or NT$9000 for a 9-seater van. This is, of course, cheaper than taking a taxi. But if you only need a one-way trip and will return a day or more later, then renting a car is very inconvenient. Moreover, the rental location may be some distance from Taitung Forest Park, 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 Taitung County 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, such as 台東新城計程車, 台東機場計程車, 山馬計程車 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$11,055 and 16,600, but you could save up to NT$7,000 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 Taitung County, there are only about 350 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 0.2% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 400 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. Furthermore, some taxi drivers in Taitung County flat-out refuse to use the meter. Nearly 47% 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 Taitung Forest Park to New Taipei in terms of both price and service quality.

The quote on the website and the app already include the car rental fee, driver's fare, cost of gasoline, toll fee, insurance, and tips. Passengers don't have to pay for the driver's meals and accommodation fees. There is no other hidden fee. What passengers see on the website is the actual price.

Every order can only reserve one car, and it is easier for passengers to make any change or cancelation. Please make two separate bookings on the website or the app if passengers need a round trip. There is no particular promotion about a round trip for now, but it's welcome to use any coupon for each ride.

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.

In common, a 9-seater van can accommodate eight passengers with six 30" luggage. Suppose there are fewer passengers in the car. In that case, our driver can fold down the rear seats. There will be more space for oversized objects, such as surfboards, golf clubs, instruments, foldable bikes, desktop computers, etc. As long as these objects won't block the driver's sight and do no damage to the car body, passengers can put as many luggage and items as they like. But extra charge may be needed. You can find the details in the FAQ section. We suggest measuring the size, telling how many items to our online service first, and making the order afterward.