Taoyuan→Lotus Pond Scenic Area

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from downtown Taoyuan to Lotus Pond Scenic Area, HSR is comfortable and quick but pricey. From the earliest departure at 06:49 to the latest at 22:35, there are up to 58 high-speed rail from Taoyuan to Zuoying each day. Assuming you depart from Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, you may walk or take a bus—if available—to Taoyuan HSR station. Including walking to the platform, buying a ticket, and waiting for the train, it takes at least 15 minutes. Then, take a 84-111-minute (101 min on average) HSR ride from Taoyuan Station to Zuoying HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$1,330 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 2 hours and 6 minutes. Assuming 4 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,330. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$1,310, and the journey takes 4 hours and 2 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$80. 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 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 35 rental car companies, such as 百驛國際租賃, 有洺國際租賃, 昇泰聯合租車, available in the Zhongli District, Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan (Zhongli District) and Lotus Pond Scenic Area, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$4300 or NT$7300 for a 9-seater van. This is, of course, cheaper than taking a taxi. If you plan to sightsee along the way to Lotus Pond Scenic Area, 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 your home/office/starting point, 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 your group has more than four people or has large luggage, renting a 9-seater van will be too expensive. It would be better to book a chauffeured service to avoid the hassle of unfamiliar roads or driving a large vehicle. A Tripool ride from Taoyuan (Zhongli District) to Lotus Pond Scenic Area costs only NT$7,029 for a van!

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Taoyuan 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 華欣車行, 滿億車行, 零距離網路派車 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$7,785 and 9,300, but you could save up to NT$4,100 by booking with Tripool instead. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Taoyuan to Lotus Pond Scenic Area in terms of both price and service quality.

For regular long-distance travelers, they find Tripool's price may be too low to be good. On the contrary, Tripool has a high standard for selecting drivers and vehicles. Besides dropping drivers who are low rated, we also send mystery shoppers regularly to test drivers' service. Tripool's drivers are not allowed to smoke in the cars, and they have to wear masks all the time during the pandemic. We don't compromise our service for a low cost. Tripool can provide excellent service with 70~80% of the market price because of AI algorithms. We use these to dispatch vehicles to increase efficiency. Tripool can use fewer drivers to serve more travelers, especially in high seasons like Chinese New Year, Christmas, and summer vacation. Fewer drivers mean better quality control. The price on tripool's website and app are dynamic. Generally, the earlier a ride is booked, the lower price it is. Most of all, all booking are 100% refundable as long as the cancelation request is made one day before noon, no matter what the reason is. If you are preparing to go from Taoyuan to Lotus Pond Scenic Area, it's better to reserve it now to secure the best price.

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.

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.

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.

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.