Taoyuan→Songsyue Lodge

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from downtown Taoyuan to Songsyue Lodge, HSR is affordable but time-consuming. From the earliest departure at 06:49 to the latest at 23:24, there are up to 72 high-speed rail from Taoyuan to Nangang each day. Assuming you depart from Dayuan District, Taoyuan City and head to the nearest Taoyuan HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$400 and take approximately 20 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 27-34-minute (32 min on average) HSR ride from Taoyuan Station to Nangang HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$200 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 199 minutes with a fare of NT$4,700, you will arrive at your destination at Songsyue Lodge (Xiulin Township, Hualien County). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 4 hours and 36 minutes. Assuming 3 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,900. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$2,820, and the journey takes 3 hours and 54 minutes. Although taking the HSR saves money compared to a private car, it requires an additional 42 minutes of travel time. So, if you are on a business trip and your time runs like a stock ticker, or a traveler wanting to get home quickly late at night, spending a little extra money can make your journey much more comfortable. Furthermore, if you have more people in your group, the average cost per person drops significantly when you book with 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 25 rental car companies, such as 揪珈小客車租賃, 晨驛國際租賃, 安捷國際租賃, available in the Dayuan 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 (Dayuan District) and Songsyue Lodge, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$3200 or NT$6200 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 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 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 大園多元化計程車聯合車隊, 游輝益自營計程車, 大園義交計程車 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$4,935 and 5,900. However, when considering the return trip, in Hualien County there are only about 1,010 licensed taxis. This is about 20% of the number of taxis in Taoyuan City, and its density is just 0.5% of the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, making it 190 times more difficult to hail a cab there. Although a metered taxi from central Taoyuan to central Songsyue Lodge might be cheaper, you still face the risk of not being able to find a cab—or ending up with a driver who refuses to use the meter. If your group has more than four people, splitting into two taxis is inconvenient. In this case, Tripool, which offers pre-booking and reliable quality, might be a more suitable option for you. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Taoyuan to Songsyue Lodge in terms of both price and service quality.

Tripool only offers private car service, and there is no ride-sharing or carpooling service for now. Except for our driver, there will be no other stranger in the vehicle with you. During the pandemic, our drivers put extra effort into clearing and disinfection.

If you are looking for a private car or a taxi from Taoyuan to Songsyue Lodge, input the pick-up and drop-off locations (or addresses) on our website. You will get an actual quote in just three seconds. Follow the yellow buttons, fill up your travel information, and choose the payment methods. Once you get the order ID, you will get an SMS and a confirmation email, and your order is all set. We will provide the driver's contact and the car information one day before the ride at 8 PM. We will fulfill your reservation 100%, guaranteeing that our driver will show up. It's recommended to finish the booking one day before noon. Tripool still accepts orders by 6 PM if you have an urgent request, and the latest order can come in by four hours in advance.

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.

As long as you can choose the date, time, and finish the booking on our website or the app, tripool guarantees our driver will show up. However, tripool is not a ride-hailing yellow cab company. All the reservations have to be pre-booked. If you want to go to Songsyue Lodge from Taoyuan, the soonest is finishing the booking four hours in advance.